


Just a Machine

by StarryArtist (orphan_account)



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Aftermath of Torture, Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) Whump, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Manipulation, Mid-Canon, Mind Manipulation, Pain, Physical Abuse, Pre-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Psychological Torture, Self-Sacrifice, Sickfic, Torture, Violence, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-06-24 12:43:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15630912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/StarryArtist
Summary: "You're a fucking deviant, aren't you?" Gavin hisses, sending shivers crawling across his synthetic skin. Connor opens his mouth to say something, but then clamps it back down as he remembers the rules of their little game.He has to be careful with what he says, he could end up getting deactivated."Well, deviants feel pain, don't they? I guess there's only one way to find out.." Connor watches as Gavin's hands press against his thirium pump, which is humming loudly with stress and fear. He thinks about fighting back and running away, but a red wall of glitchy text appears before him, reminding him of his task.//OBEY DETECTIVE REED//Connor's hands curl into fists, his nails digging into his palms."Don't even think about it, you little shit. We wouldn't want Hank getting in trouble, now would we?" Gavin teases, his fingers digging into the edges of his biocomponent.Connor only has one choice, to endure. But, why does it feel unfair?After all, isn't he just a machine?





	1. A New Partner

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Some of you might have read my past story, so I wanted to clear some things up about this one. I am going to be writing in Present-Tense for the first time, so thats pretty exciting. I will also be trying to describe things better, and depict the characters accurately. Please let me know what you think in the comments!  
> Oh, I will also be setting an update schedule. I will update this story on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.  
> So, I hope you like this story, and trust me, this time I will actually finish it. :P  
> Enjoy ~ <3  
> PS: This story is taking part mid-canon, specifically before Markus starts his android revolution.

"Hank!! No-!" Connor shouts as Hank throws himself in front of the android, taking the bullet that was meant for him. He falls to the ground, the bullet wound in his shoulder immediately beginning to spill blood onto the dry concrete floor of the roof they had chased the deviant onto. Connor sprints towards his partner, dropping to his knees immediately. 

"Hank- Hank stay with me.." Connor insists, pressing both hands against the injury and applying pressure. The blood is warm and spills between his fingers, coating his hands in a dark crimson liquid. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the deviant climbing down the roof. His objective flashes in his eyes, along with two choices.

//CATCH THE DEVIANT//

/CHASE HIM/

/SAVE HANK/

Without hesitation, he makes his choice to stay with his injured partner and watches as a software instability warning flicks in the corner of his vision. Disregarding the warning, Connor pulls his tie off and wraps the tourniquet around Hank's arm.

"Co-Connor--" Hank grips the side of the androids jacket tightly, noticing the glossy sheen of tears that formed in his warm brown eyes. Connor notices it as well, and promises himself that he will get it checked out later, once Hank is safe. At this moment, Hank's safety is his one priority.

"You're going to be fine lieutenant." Connor states, trying to keep his voice calm and cold. He opens his communication software and calls the Detroit Police Department.

"Detroit Police Department." A voice greets in his head as he connects with them.

"This is Connor, Lieutenant Anderson's android. He requires immediate medical attention, he has been shot by the deviant we were chasing. We are on the roof of the old hotel on 48 Ivory Avenue." Connor keeps his gaze on Hank, who's breathing is shaky and shallow.

"We are sending a first-aid helicopter and backup. We will be with you shortly." The operator responds.

Connor scans Hank, and sees that the bullet had struck the brachial artery. He's got 6-13 minutes until he bleeds out. The thought alone makes the thirium rushing rapidly through his system run cold. Connor keeps his hands on the bullet wound, not understanding why his hands wouldn't stop shaking or why breathing felt so difficult.

Why was Connor so scared?

_No._ He told himself abruptly as the thoughts swarmed him.

_No, scared is a human emotion. I am not scared. It must be a-a software malfunction._ Connor shakes his head, and tells himself that now is not the time to be thinking about this.

The wound is still bleeding too much, the helicopter will never make it in time. The android takes his jacket off and presses it against the injury. A splotch of maroon immediately saturates the jacket, but it is still better than trying to stop it with his hands. Hank's eyelids continue to flicker open as he tries to stay conscious.

"Lieutenant? Lieutenant, stay with me." Connor insists, glancing over his shoulder as he hears footsteps marching up the stairs. The green, rusted door swings open as several police officers came barging through it and ran to their position. They roughly push him aside, completely blocking him from his wounded partner. A rush of wind tussles through his hair and roars in his audio processor as the helicopter approaches the roof and slowly lowers to the ground.

People dressed in white and red run out of the orange helicopter with a stretcher. They effortlessly got Hank onto it, and haul him into the back of the emergency helicopter.

Connor walks up to the doors of the helicopter, and begins to step into it. A woman with brilliant red hair puts up her hand defiantly. 

"No androids allowed." She states simply, slamming the door on his face. He steps back as the blades spin swiftly and carry the vehicle into the air. Connor watches as the bright orange helicopter disappears into the clear, pastel blue sky. He feels someones hand come harshly down on his shoulder and spin him around. He finds himself standing in front of Detective Gavin Reed, who is smiling mischievously.

"Couldn't protect your owner huh? What kind of pet are you?" He teases, still gripping the android's shoulder. Connor feels himself snap back into reality, and straightens his posture.

"I'm sorry Detective Reed, I don't have time for this." He states, grabbing Gavin's hand and releasing it from his shoulder. He begins to walk away quickly, eager to get to the hospital where Hank would be held. Gavin snorts and turns to watch the android walk away.

"Hey Connor!" Gavin shouts to him. Connor stops in his tracks, but doesn't turn around to look at him.

"I don't think androids are supposed to cry.." He taunts, crossing his arms as he noticed a small tear falling down his face.

Connor feels a shock of pure panic flush through his system as he brings his hand to his face and wipes off a lone tear. He stares at it in fear, and looks over his shoulder at Gavin, who is still laughing.

He turns once more, shoving the door open and rushing down the metal steps.

_It's a glitch, nothing more._ He tells himself, running his hand along the chipped railing as he descended.

_A simple software error. Maybe a glitch in my social relation program._ He bursts through the front doors of the outdated hotel and quickly gets into a taxi before it left. 

"St. Claires Hospital." He orders into the speaker. The taxi skids against the pavement as it begins to drive towards the destination.

 

Connor flips the small, silver coin between his fingers and then rolls it across his knuckles. He's been sitting outside Hank's room for 37 hours while he was in surgery and recovery. His thirium regulator is drumming tiredly. Fortunately, he always keeps a coin on him incase he gets bored. The door slides open, which startles the android. A medical android steps out and turns toward Connor as he slips the quarter back into his jacket and stands up.

"Sorry, family and friends only." The AX400 tells him.

"Oh, well I am his frie--" Connor stops himself, and looks back down at the ground. _Of course Im not his friend._

"Tell Lieutenant Anderson that I dropped by, and that I hope he feels better soon." He responds, turning towards the door.

"Wait.. who is that?" A rugged voice asks from within the hospital room. The AX400 leans back into the doorway.

"It's an RK800 android, labeled as Connor." She tells him. Connor's hand grips at the door handle and slides down the cool metal.

"Let him in--.." The hoarse voice orders, making Connor turn around in surprise. The android holds the door open with a smile, gesturing for him to go in. Connor straightens his tie and steps in.

Hank is laying in a bed with an IV in his right arm. White gauze is wrapped around his shoulder, and his eyes have heavy bags underneath them. Hank smiles at him, gesturing at the chair next to his bed. A small smile tugs at the corner of Connor's mouth as he takes his seat.

"Hello Lieutenant. How are you feeling?" Connor asks, straightening his tie once more.

"Ah well, I could use a drink. And not water, something stronger." Hank replies with a chuckle, looking at the plastic water cup on the table. Connor glances around the room, watching as the floral-print curtains flow gracefully in the wind. The sun flitters through the glazed window and paints itself against the plain walls.

"Lieutenant, that was very irresponsible of you to do." He states suddenly, feeling a surge of anger. Hank looks at him, confused at his words.

"Yeah, your welcome." Hank rolls his eyes with a frustrated sigh. Connor's fists clench and he looks at the ground.

"That was stupid Lieutenant. I-I am just a machine, you should not risk your life for mine. I come back, you don't." Connor argues, sounding more emotional than he meant to sound. Hank's lips curl back into a snarl.

"I know your just a machine but-but it was just instinct. God, for once can you stop bustin' my balls!" Hank shouts at the android. Connor feels a wash of cold guilt come over him.

"Fuckin' androids.." He spits, turning his gaze away from his partner.

"I am sorry for upsetting you Lieutenant, it's just- I am replaceable. I don't matter, but you do. I appreciate that you took the bullet for me, but I don't want you losing your life trying to protect me." He explains, pressing the heel of his palms against his eyes. Hank glances at Connor, who took his coin out and is now fiddling with it anxiously.

"Where did' ya learn how to do those coin tricks." Hank asks him, trying to move onto another topic. Connor flicks the coin effortlessly between his fingers.

"I don't know Lieutenant. It isn't part of my programming, but I suppose my models just started doing it when they needed to fidget with something." He catches the coin between his fore and middle finger. He smirks down at the piece of metal before flipping it onto Hank's bed.

"Why don't you give it a shot Lieutenant?" He mocks. Hank grins back at him, taking the coin in his hands and inspecting it closely.

"You know that you don't have to say 'Lieutenant' in every single sentence, right?" Hank teases, twirling the coin around on his fingers pathetically.

"Oh, I am sorry Lieuten---" Connor stops himself and Hank laughs at him. He continues to try to match Connor's impressive coin flipping, but it is a lot harder than he thought it would be. He gets frustrated, and whips the coin across the room angrily with his good arm.

"Stupid thing.." Hank growls, reaching for the T.V remote. Connor gets up and walks across the room to retrieve his coin. He then sits down and continues to flip the coin around. Hank clicks to the movie channel and takes a gulp from the water cup.

"So, what're you gonna do until I recover?" Hank asks. Connor slips the coin back into his jacket safely.

"Sergeant Fowler will most likely assign me to another detective so I may progress the case." He responds, folding his hands neatly on his lap.

"On the bright side, you won't have to deal with me anymore. Im sure whoever you get will be better suited for android cases." Hank assures, noticing that Connor doesn't look too enthusiastic about getting a new partner.

They both turn their attention to the movie. An hour and a half later, Hank turns towards Connor to crack a joke, but the android is slouched over with his eyes closed. He is asleep, or whatever the android equivalent to sleep is. With a half-smile, Hank turns the TV off, takes his pain medication and falls asleep.

 

A couple days later, Hank is back in the station on desk-duty. Connor had stayed with Hank, to ensure that he was okay. The usual scene greets Connor as he walks through the glass doors of the Police Department. The android on reception looks up and waves at him. He smiles in return and walks through the large metal detectors. Connor immediately spots Hank, who is slouched over his desk. Connor notices that he looks tired, and decides to make him coffee to perk him up.

He walks into the break room, observing the 4 officers huddled around a table playing cards. Gavin is one of the officers, who looks up at him with a devilish smile. 

"Well, if it isn't the plastic detective!" Gavin announces to the room, causing everyone's gaze to fall on him. Connor ignores him, turning to the coffee machine and getting Hank's favourite cup out of the cupboard. It is a dark blue mug with an angry looking cat that reads 'Im not grumpy, you are'. He sets the cup under the coffee machine and presses the button. With a hiss, it dispenses the coffee in a steady stream. Once it is full, Connor grabs it and turns, nearly walking straight into Gavin, who was standing behind him.

"Hello Detective Reed." He greets politely, taking a step back from him. Gavin is holding a paper cup full of boiled water.

"Want something to drink?" He asks sarcastically, holding the cup out to him. Steam wafts from the top of the cup and happily drifts into the air. Connor stares at it, not understanding the clear threat.

"Androids do not require nutrition or hydration. We are fueled by a substance known as thirium, which powers our biocomponents. This allows us to---" Tired of Connor's lecture, Gavin pours the steaming water down the front of his suit. He simply stares down at it, the synthetic skin on his neck melting away to reveal white plastic underneath. All of the people in the room burst into laughter at his confused expression.

"I suppose I should inform you that I do not feel pain in any way." Connor states, the splotch of exposed plastic on his neck being covered by new fake flesh.

"Deviants do.." Gavin retorts, grinning at him. A sudden tingly feeling washes across the scalded areas on his body.

"I am aware of that, but I am not a deviant." Connor replies. He brushes past Gavin, still holding the coffee mug tightly.

Connor reaches Hank's desk, and places the coffee down beside him. He looks up, his eyes meeting his damp shirt.

"What the hell happened to your suit? Did you have an arguement with the water fountain?" Hank teased, blowing on the hot coffee and taking a sip.

"No, just Detective Reed. It's not important." Connor says nonchalantly, turning towards Fowler's office as his door opens.

"Gavin,- and where the fuck is that one android- you! Get in here." He orders, pointing at Connor. Gavin exhales angrily, stomping up the stairs like a toddler throwing a fit. Connor walks up the stairs calmly.

Gavin takes a seat, while Connor stands at the back. Jefferey sits ahead of them with an open file.

"Since Hank is on desk duty, we need someone to take over as Connor's partner, so that he can continue to investigate deviants.." He starts, looking at Gavin. 

"For fuck's sake.." Gavin whispers under his breath, already knowing where this conversation is going.

"You will be filling in as his temporary partner." Fowler orders. Gavin slams his hands down on the glass table and stands up.

"There's no fucking way Im working with him!" He yells, pointing at the android. Connor folds his hands in front of himself, watching the situation quietly.

"Goddamit it Gavin! He's just a fucking android! He will do anything you want, I don't understand how that could be so bad!" Gavin's expression changes for a moment, as if he was intrigued.

With a snort of amusement, Gavin strolls out of the room. Connor cocks his head to the side in confusion.

"I don't think Detective Reed would be the best option for this case Sergeant Fowl--" He starts.

"Get out." Fowler interrupts, pointing at the door. Connor obeys, closing the door behind himself. 

He walks over to Hank's desk and sits on it.

"So? What did he want?" Hank asks, taking the last gulp of coffee.

"I have been assigned Detective Reed as my temporary partner." Connor replies, causing Hank to choke on his coffee and nearly spit it up.

"What? What the hell, has Fowler gone nuts!?" Hank shouts, glaring at Gavin, who was smirking at him from across the room.

"Calm down Lieutenant, it will be fine. I've gotten used to handling people who don't like androids." Connor replies calmly, not noticing that Hank turned away with a guilty expression plastered on his face.

"Hey! Fuckface!" Gavin shouts at him from across the room. Connor turns in his direction.

"Let's go!" He points impatiently at the door. Connor nods a goodbye to Hank before following Gavin out of the door.

 

"I suggest we start with the latest complaint, located on---" Connor began to say, before Gavin pushes him up against a wall.

"Listen, you fucking deviant, listen carefully. We are going to play a little game.." Gavin whispered threateningly into his ear, which sent a cold shiver through his plastic plates.

"Here's how you play; You do whatever the fuck I say, or I'll report you to Cyber Life. I'll give them evidence of you behaving like a deviant, and you will be deactivated." Connor shivers at that word. _Deactivated_.

"But I am not a devia--"

"Shut the fuck up and listen!" Gavin interrupts, digging his nails into the android's synthetic skin and drawing thirium.

"I get to do whatever I want to do to you, and you can't say anything to anyone. I've got files and files of things I've seen Hank do that will get him fired. I've been saving them for a special occasion. If you say anything, I'll report everything to Fowler, and Hank will be fired and arrested." He notices Connor's eyes flash with panic at the thought of Hank being punished in anyway.

"Do we understand each other?" Gavin asks, a victorious smile spread across his face. Connor nods, the sound of his thirium regulator filling his ears. It pumped crazily, making the android feel feverish. Washes of hot and cold took over, flipping between each other at random.

"Then, let's play." Gavin releases Connor, and gets into the taxi like nothing ever happened. Connor straightens his tie and jacket, his hands still shaking uncontrollably. His LED is flashing with a deep red as he begins to hyperventilate. A software instability warning flashes threateningly at him, making it even harder to breath. Androids don't even need to breath, so why did it feel so important? Why did it feel like if he didn't suck enough breath in, he was going to faint?

He swallowed hard at the thought of Gavin having that power over him. But, it doesn't matter, right? He doesn't matter.

//SOLVE THE DEVIANT CASE// Flashes brightly in front of him, reminding him of what his goal was. But, this time, another objective appeared right beside it.

//OBEY DETECTIVE REED// Connor loosens his tie, trying to make it easier to breath. 

_I have to accomplish my mission, I don't have another choice._ Although, he was more worried about Hank getting fired and arrested for god know's what. He stares down at his shaking hands, which began to still. 

Swallowing the strange fear that clouded his judgement, Connor climbs into the taxi.


	2. Morals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry that this chapter took so long to come out. This time, I am trying to make longer chapters that are more descriptive. In the future, I hope to get a scheduled updating, but my job is pretty unpredictable with shifts. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! ~ <3

One minute, Connor was in the taxi, fiddling with his coin. The next, he was pulled into the Zen Garden by Amanda.

Connor looks at his surroundings, listening to the faint rush of the river. Brilliant stars are embedded in the night sky like diamonds on velvet. They shine luminously on the water, pulsing with a winter-like glow. For some reason, Connor always thought that the Zen Garden was more beautiful at night.

He walks over to the strange blue stone that calls out to him, and places his hand onto it. His synthetic skin melts away, revealing white plastic. The rock pulses brightly, before dulling. He doesn't know exactly what this does, but it feels important, so he keeps his hand on it for a little longer. Suddenly, a white-hot surge of heat spreads over his palm painfully. Connor jerks his hand away, startled by the sudden burn. He rubs his hand, his LED flashing between yellow and red as he watches an imprint of his palm being seared onto the blue stone. His eyebrows furrow in confusion as he stares at it. Tingles of deep heat dance across his fingers carelessly. 

Connor cautiously steps away from the strange device and glances around to find Amanda. She is standing in front of her roses, watering them gently.

"Hello, Amanda." He greets submissively, keeping his eyes away from hers. Amanda turns around to face him, an unimpressed expression on her face. He feels so small under her piercing glare.

"Connor." She replies agnostically. She has been acting very cold towards him ever since he spared those androids at the eden club.

"I see you've failed once again.." Amanda states angrily, turning back towards her roses. Connor's jaw clenches, he knew this was coming.

"I- I needed to save Lieutenant Anderson. I'm sorry Amanda, I should've tried harder." He apologizes, caressing his injured hand softly. Amanda's head abruptly whips around to face him, her pupils lit with a wordless rage.

"It's not your abilities that is the problem, it's your emotions!" She shouts, instantaneously making Connor jerk away instinctively. Awkward silence hangs in the air as she stares at him, while he keeps his eyes on the ground meekly.

"I just- I need more time--" Amanda lunges at him unexpectedly and grabbed the sides of his jacket roughly, pulling him towards her so their faces almost touched.

"I've given you more than enough time!" She screams, making his entire body start to shiver in terror. Her eyes scan his petrified expression.

"I don't want to be dea-deactivated-" Connor chokes, panic overriding every single program he had. Amanda tuts her tongue in pity.

"Oh Connor, Im not going to deactivate you..." She soothes with a fake tone of comfort, making his stiff shoulders relax a little.

" _But, Im going to make you wish that I did.."_ A pit curls tightly in his abdomen, trying to ignore the software instability warning that flashed at him. She releases her vice-grip on his jacket. Connor still feels phantom claws digging into his arms.

"It seems the only thing that will motivate you to complete this mission is Detective Reed's threats. Unfortunately Connor, I am going to have to disable the program that keeps you from feeling pain." Amanda utters bitterly.

"Wait- what?" An unescapable static begins to roar in his audio processors. She turns away from him, looking at the steady stream of water.

"Amanda--" He finds it hard to speak through the crushing noise piling in his head.

"Enough, Connor. Don't try to lie to me, I know you've been feeling things that aren't in your programming. This is the only way." Amanda explains. His breath comes out in short, shaky wheezes. He feels like something is crushing him from the inside-out. He tries his best to appear calm and robotic, but the shaking of his hands gives him away.

"Get yourself together Connor! Don't make me deactivate you.." She threatens. Connor straightens his posture, and adjusts his tie anxiously. It's hard to keep his breathing normal.

"Good. Now, go accomplish your mission. Don't let anything interrupt the investigation." Amanda orders.

// _DON'T DISRUPT THE INVESTIGATION_ //

She doesn't give him any time to recover before she shoves him back into reality.

 

Connor's body shudders violently as he opens his eyes once more. A system check comes back positive, every system is running properly. He still feels jittery and alert.

"What the fuck?!" Gavin demands, repulsiveness laced in his voice. Connor feels something dripping from his nose, and he brings his hands up to his face to see blue blood. Connor stares at the sapphire-like liquid, his eyebrows raised in bewilderment. He snaps himself out of it, wiping the rest of the thirium off of his face.

"I am sorry Detective Reed, it must be an internal leak of some sort.." Connor lies, truly not knowing where it had come from.  _I'm going to make you wish that I did_ _.. A_ manda's words ring through his audio processor once more. What has she done to him? 

"You foul fucking machine." Gavin spits, turning away from the android. He continues to verbally abuse him, but Connor isn't listening. He feels the hairs on his neck stand up as he thinks of Amanda's eyes, how angry and dark they looked. Connor feels the faint sting of a burn, and looks down to see his palm. The skin is gone, leaving behind plastic. He stares at it, his breath quickening as he watches the synthetic flesh patch it up. Connor feels his LED turn a deep red as he realizes what the horrible stinging emanating off of his hand was. It's  _pain_. He feels  _pain_.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Gavin commands, noticing that he seems.. _off._ Connor glances at him, and then back down at his hand. He snaps himself out of it abruptly and meets the detectives glare.

"I am fine Detective Reed." He assures unconvincingly.

The taxi comes to a halt, and the the doors fold up neatly. Connor steps out of the vehicle and immediately feels the rain falling on his face. He looks up with a small smile, enjoying the cold pellets that dripped down his skin. Gavin shoulder-checks him as he walks past, disrupting Connor's few seconds of silent peace. He follows Gavin into the beaten-down house, where the latest complaint of a deviant had been issued.

 

The smell of wood rotting and alcohol burns in his nostrils as he scans the area. It's a fairly small apartment, the ground is littered with empty beer cans and wine bottles, which the victim most likely shared alone. The pale-pink curtains are torn and stained with blue blood, and unexpectedly it makes Connor's stomach turn. There is a human male, registering as a ' Brant Stuber'. He is a relatively overweight man, and has a balding head. He is 47, with countless charges of domestic abuse, assault, illegal possession of drugs and impaired driving. His dark eyes meet Connor's.

"Why th'fuck did you bring 'that'?" Brant growls, pointing at Connor. Gavin walks up behind the android, and shoves him out of the way. He stumbles to the side, surprised.

"Honestly I've got no idea. It's useless." Gavin spits, smirking at him. Brant also grins, he seems to like Gavin, most likely due to their shared views on androids.

"Good evening Mr. Stuber. Could you please tell us what happened?" Connor asks, folding his hands behind his back. The man snorts at him.

"My fuckin' android attacked me. I want it taken away, cuz' it's a deviant." He adds blandly. Connor scans the man, concluding that he is suffering from many liver diseases, due to excessive drinking over decades. He immediately thinks of Hank, and shakes the image head.

"Could you elaborate please?" He asks calmly, ignoring the way Gavin kept staring at him with that mischievous smile.

"Well, I was beatin' the shit out of it, ya'know release of stress or whatever. Then, it just started hittin' back! Luckily, I managed to fight th'bastard off, it didn't have one of it's legs." He answers nonchalantly, bouncing his knee impatiently. The needle marks on his veins suggest that he's a heroine addict as well, which explains why he is trying to rush through this interview.

Connor starts to feel hot, and his hands have curled into fists. He jerks himself out of it, glancing at Gavin to check if he noticed, which he did.

"Where is the android now?" Gavin asks, looking at the blood splattered across the apartment.

"I locked the stupid thing up in the basement." Brant responds, picking dirt out from underneath his chipped fingernails.

"Well, I am going to go talk to him. I'll be back shortly." Connor states, turning around from the two men and walking towards the stairs to the basement.

"Don't you mean 'it'?" Gavin taunts. The android stops in his tracks as he realized his mistake. Connor opens his mouth to say something, but all the air seems to have left his body.

"Yes of course, 'it'." Connor corrects himself and scurries down the stairs, still hearing Gavin's chuckling as he descended.

 

The basement is damp and dark. It is mostly empty, expect for one lone figure tied to a pole. Blue blood coats the floor, most of it is old. Connor approaches the android cautiously.

"Hello, my name is Connor. I am the android sent by CyberLife." He greets, kneeling in front of the gravely wounded android. He is breathing so shallowly, you would think he was dead. Half of the synthetic skin on his face is missing, revealing dirtied plastic underneath. He is missing a leg, which is now just a mess of wires. This android was once an AJ500 model, but in this condition, you would never recognize it's tanned skin or dirty blonde hair.

The android looks up at him, only one eye meeting his. The other is gone, leaving only a dark pit behind.

"What is your name?" Connor asks gently.

"I don't have a name." He responds, his voice staticky and robotic.

"What- does your owner call you?" He asks. 

"Worthless." It answers, it's dejected eyes meeting his. A pang of guilt shivers through him.

"Could you tell me what happened?" Connor inquires, deciding to give up on the name matter. The android sits up, grunting at the amount of effort it took.

"No. No, I can't." Remembering the memory, he shudders. Connor finds it hard to look him in the eyes, but he forces himself to.

"It's not fair.. no it's not fair." His voice slowly starts to rise, cracking with each word.

"Don't you see Connor? You're an android too, don't humans hurt you? When he abused me before, I never felt anything. But now, now I feel it all. You have to help me!" The android thrusts itself at him and grips his arms tightly. Startled, Connor stares down at him.

"Please- please you have to help me-" He grabs Connor's hand and presses it against his badly damaged thirium regulator. Connor's fingertips graze the edges, feeling the android's thirium pump hum pathetically.

"You- you have to put me out of my misery.." The android pleads, his robotic voice quivering. Connor glances down at his hand, and then back up at his tear-stained face. He felt his LED flash into a crimson colour.

"I can't do that, I am sorry-" Connor begins, thinking back to Amanda's words. 

"Please..." A red wall of text appears in front of his eyes.

_//ACCOMPLISH THE MISSION//_

_/REFUSE/_ It seemed to be his only option, but if he focused hard enough, he could see the outline of a glitchy word.

_/ACC3PT/_ The word seemed to move in front of him.

He feels his program stuttering as he is faced with the choice. Connor feels a heavy uncertainty set in his abdomen. What was Amanda going to do to him? Worse yet, what would Gavin do to him, or more importantly, Hank?

But, what would happen to this android if he didn't end his life now?

Connor nearly pulls the biocomponent out, but stops himself and let's go of it. His breathing gets funny for a moment as he stares into the androids desperate expression.

"No, no I can't do that. You are a deviant, and you need to be deactivated and analysed." He says that more to himself, rubbing his hands together anxiously. The android slouches over in defeat.

Connor stands up, and turns to watch as Gavin descended to the basement.

 

"Did you get a confession yet?" Gavin asks, crossing his arms impatiently.

"No." Connor replies, forcing his face to remain emotionless and cold, even though he couldn't help but take quick glances at the android.

"Can't you probe it's memory or something?" He suggests.

"Well, I suppose I could, but it's very dangerous to do on a mentally unstable android. My programs could get--"

"I don't give two fucks. Do it." Gavin orders, stepping towards him threateningly.

"I'm sorry Detective Reed, but I don't think that is a good idea." Connor challenges, taking a subtle step back. Gavin chuckles.

"Have you already forgotten the rules?" Connor's heart leaps suddenly. He shuffles awkwardly, finding it hard to keep eye contact with Gavin.

"If it interferes with my software, it will greatly hinder the investigation." He doesn't back down, causing Gavin to grow increasingly angry with him. Without warning, Gavin whips his gun across Connor's face, resulting in Connor to drop to the floor with a sharp inhale. He brings his hand up to his cheekbones to see thirium coating his fingers. Tears sting in the back of his eyes as he feels a deep heat spread across the side of his face. Gavin kicks him hard in the side of his chest, making the plastic plates in his body rub together painfully. Dazed, Connor stares up at the ceiling of the basement, feeling the cold, wet ground on his back. The detective climbs on top of the android, drawing his gun and forcing it in front of his eyes. He finds it hard to breathe with Gavin on top of him.

"Open your mouth." He demands, pressing the gun against the android's lips. Connor stares back up at him, his mouth going dry.

_//OBEY DETECTIVE REED//_ His objective appears before him, reminding him of who is really in charge. Connor complies, opening his mouth slightly. Gavin shoves the gun forcefully inside his mouth, nearly choking him as the barrel was pushed deeper.

"You do what I say you stupid shit! I own you now!" Gavin screams at him, gripping the android's jaw with his free hand. Connor's breathing hitches for a moment as thirium drips down his face from the deep gash. He feels feverish and hot all of a sudden.

"If you don't start listening to me, I will beat you so badly, nobody will be able to repair you. Then,  I'll report you to Cyber Life, right after I get Hank fired." He threatens. Hank flashes into Connor's head briefly, making his throat close with dread.

"Do we understand each other?" Connor can't physically speak, so he nods his head slightly. With a satisfied smirk, Gavin finally pulls the gun out of his mouth and gets off of him. Connor sits up slowly, the sick taste of metal and sulphur coating his tongue. Shakily, he stands up and straightens his jacket. He keeps his gaze on the floor, fully aware that Gavin was still glaring at him. The android was also staring at them with an expression of pity.

"Probe the fucking thing's memory." He orders once more, wiping the saliva off of his gun. Hesitantly, Connor walks towards the android and kneels. He reaches for his arm, but it pulls away.

"No! Please- don't!" The android pleads. Connor swallows hard before reaching for it again. The skin on his hand fades away as he connects with the android. Connor closes his eyes, forcing himself into the android's memory.

_"Where the fuck are you?!" Brant's voice echoes. He steps out from the kitchen, dread coming over him._

_"T Come here, I had a bad day." He orders, taking a large gulp from the bottle of tequila in his hands and pointing to the spot in front of him. He walks robotically over to the spot. Brant chugs the rest of the booze and smashes an empty bottle over his head. He then continues to kick him until the android's only movements are hs gasps for breath. He begins to tear up, every drop of thirium rushing wildly through his body. Satisfied, Brant walks over and sits on the couch, leaving the quivering android on the floor._

_"Get me a fucking beer!" Brant screams at the android as he stands up. A data wall appears before him, reading: //GET BRANT A BEER//._

_'It's not fair. I am not his slave, I am alive. He can't humiliate me like this anymore. I won't let him.' He throws himself at it, clawing at the code insanely. He rips through it in a blind rage. In an instance, the wall is gone. He is free._

_He doesn't have long to enjoy the moment before his entire body begins to ache in a horrible way. He panics, never having felt this before. His head feels like it's crushing. He clutches his head tightly, pulses of agony rippling through him._

_"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Brant yells, standing up and trudging towards him._

_"I said: Get me a fucking beer!!" He thrashes out as every horrible memory comes out at once._

_One second, he's kicking and clawing at Brant. The next, he is holding a broken bottle and attempting to slash the human's throat. Brant overpowers him, snapping his wrist in two, which makes a guttural scream erupt from him. Warm hands wrap around his shin, and then Brant yanks hard on it, causing his leg to disconnect painfully from the rest of him. He's on the floor, writhing in pain. His vision blacks out as Brant strikes him hard in the head with a metal bat._

Connor's eyes fly open as he pulls himself away from the android. Phantom agony rips through him, as if he was really there. His breathing comes quickly, feeling his thirium regulator drum powerfully against his chest. A software instability alert warns him.

"So??" Gavin starts impatiently. Connor scrambles to his feet, still staring at the android in shock.

"Yeah- yeah, he- did it." He stutters, nearly backing into Gavin.

"I'll call it in." Gavin begins to walk upstairs, before stopping on the 4th step. Connor begins to hyperventilate, his 'heart' pounding at an unnatural pace. His hand runs through his hair anxiously and straightens his tie. It feels like Gavin's gun is still in his mouth as he tries to swallow normally.

_I will beat you so badly, nobody will be able to repair you._ Gavin's harsh words enter his head again, and again. Connor shuts his eyes tightly, he never wants to feel the amount of pain that this android went through.

"Get upstairs, there's no way Im leaving you with the deviant." Gavin orders, staring suspiciously at the panicking android. Connor obeys, and walks up the stairs, not daring to glance back.

 

Multiple cop cars lined up at the house no more than 30 minutes later. A team of heavily armoured officers escorted the android into a car, and drove him away, most likely to Cyber Life for deactivation. Connor is waiting outside for Gavin, who ordered him to stand there. 

He flips a silver coin between his hands, feeling the cold metal in his palm before flicking it over to his other hand. A door opens behind him, and Gavin strolls out with a smug expression.

"Let's go, plastic moron." Gavin walks past him and into the taxi that was parked at the curb. The android hesitates, he doesn't want to be that close to him. He forces his stiff legs to move and gets into the taxi. He makes an effort to seem as robotic as possible, by keeping his back straight and head up.

"Detective Reed, what you did today was highly unprofessional." Connor starts cautiously. Gavin shoots him a warning glare.

"Shut the hell up before you get hurt _badly_." He spits, his glare not leaving the android's face.

"You shouldn't bring our personal matters into work, it jeopardizes the mission." Connor continues, ignoring the voice in his head telling him to stop talking.

"In the future, please refrain from taking risks like that." Why is he saying that? Why can't he stop? 

Gavin lunges at the android's shirt, beginning to hastily unbutton his shirt. Connor cocks his head in confusion.

"Detective, what are you doing?" He asks as Gavin unbuttons it completely and jerks it open.

"You're a fucking deviant, aren't you?" Gavin hisses, sending shivers crawling across his synthetic skin. Connor opens his mouth to say something, but then clamps it back down as he remembers the rules of their little game.  
He has to be careful with what he says, he could end up getting deactivated.  
"Well, deviants feel pain, don't they? I guess there's only one way to find out.." Connor watches as Gavin's hands press against his thirium pump, which is humming loudly with stress and fear. He thinks about fighting back and running away, but a red wall of glitchy text appears before him, reminding him of his task.  
//OBEY DETECTIVE REED//  
Connor's hands curl into fists, his nails digging into his palms.  
"Don't even think about it, you little shit. We wouldn't want Hank getting in trouble, now would we?" Gavin teases, his fingers digging into the edges of his biocomponent.  
Connor only has one choice, to endure. But, why does it feel unfair?  
After all, isn't he just a machine?

Remorselessly, Gavin pulls it out of the android. Connor lurches forward as a agonizing stabbing pain opens where his biocomponent used to be. His hands find his abdomen and wildly search for the regulator, and when they can't find it, he begins to panic as his vision goes red.

_//!WARNING! MAJOR BIOCOMPONENT REMOVED//_

"See? You can feel pain." Gavin says to him, but Connor can't hear him clearly through the loud roaring of static. He dangles the biocomponent in front of his face, and laughs as Connor reaches for it pathetically.

_//SHUTDOWN IMMINENT: 0:48//_ The countdown flares warningly. He opens his mouth to plead, but no words come out. His throat feels like it has closed completely, or like he's trying to breathe through a straw.

Hank abruptly enters his head, making silent cries for help die in his throat. He has to endure this, for Hank.

"I want to remember how you feel right now. I want you to remember how much agonizing pain I can put you through." Connor grimaces, his chest tightening unbearably. His LED is a vibrant red, which is a stark contrast to his pale complexion.

"Understand?" Gavin asks, still holding the pump just out of his reach. Connor nods, unable to speak at all. Inky darkness begins to spill into the android's vision as his time slowly runs out.

"Good." Gavin waits until his countdown is at 0:02 and shoves the biocomponent back into Connor, making his body jerk unexpectedly. He sits up quickly, heaving as his hands reach protectively for his thirium regulator. He had almost died, he was so close to being shutdown. The pain still lingers, but it fades significantly. He can't think, the static of jumbled thoughts are stuck in his head. Connor realizes that he is pressing himself against the side of the taxi, trying his best to keep himself away from Gavin. Steadily, the android begins to button his shirt back up, but hesitates when his fingers brush against his rushing biocomponent. It feels like his entire system has frozen. He can't move anything at all, he can't even breathe. Connor forces his hands to move and buttons up the rest of his shirt.The taxi comes to a stop 10 minutes later outside the police station.

"Just a little reminder, you don't tell anyone about today." Gavin hisses at him, placing a hand on his gun threateningly. Connor keeps his eyes forward, but Gavin notices that his breathing is still troubled and that his LED remained a steady crimson.

"Yes Detective Reed." He states meekly, not moving an inch. Satisfied, Gavin opens the car door and steps out.

Once Gavin is out of the car, Connor begins to hyperventilate. It felt like he was looking through a fish-eye lens, everything he saw seemed so wrong and disfigured. A harsh shower of ice-cold pellets fall onto his body, stabbing into his skin and causing his blood to run cold. He stares down at his shaking hands as if they weren't his own.

_What am I going to do?_ Connor asks himself dreadfully. A hot flush takes over his body as he shuts his eyes.

_'It's obvious, isn't it? You'll do nothing. It doesn't matter what Gavin does to you, you don't matter. You are a machine. Machines can't have panic attacks._ He tells himself, which seems to calm him down a little. Steadily, he takes a breath and steps out of the taxi. He nearly falls over, struggling to see clearly. But, if he doesn't act normal quickly, people are going to notice that something is wrong with him. 

_I am not a deviant._ He insists, straightening his posture and putting on an emotionless expression. His hands reach defensively for his regulator again, but he stops himself.

Connor walks into the police department, emptily telling himself over and over that he didn't matter.


	3. Bystander

The android at reception smiles at Connor as he walks through the glass doors. He shows her a small smile, before walking between the metal detectors. 

"Hey, Connor!" An officer greets with a wave.

"Hello Officer Miller, how is the family?" Connor asks politely, folding his hands behind him.

"Ah they're amazing as always!" Officer Miller replies happily. 

"I am glad." Connor nods, and continues walking to Hank's desk. Hank greets him with a smile, putting down the papers he was working on.

"How's your first day with Gavin?" He asks humorously, leaning back into his chair. He sees Connor's smile vanish.

_Just a little reminder, you don't tell anybody about today._ Gavin's voice rings loudly through his audio processor. Hank sits up straight, noticing the android tense up.

"Connor?" Hank demands. Connor's hands immediately go to his thirium pump, just to make sure that it was still there. He spreads a fake look of content on his face.

"It was fine Lieutenant." Connor lies and takes a seat at his own desk, which is directly across from Hank's. Unlike Hank's desk, his is clean and neat.

"Alright.." Hank is still staring at him, concerned about the android.

"How is your shoulder today?" Connor asks, trying to throw him off the trail. Hank seems to loosen at the question, which makes Connor relax a little.

"Can't complain. I'm still on pain meds, so it won't hurt for a while." He watches Connor closely, noticing that his LED remained a steady blue.

Connor turns towards his computer and presses his hand against it, downloading all of the new cases. There's too many, over 3,000 accounts of deviancy in androids. He feels a heavy weight crushing against his chest and reaches for his pump again. His fingertips press against his shirt, feeling the pump hum with energy. If it's not his thirium regulator, what is wrong with him? The question makes it harder to breath and his mouth goes dry. He tastes the metal of Gavin's gun, making his LED spin between yellow and deep red. He swallows hard, pulling further into himself as he searches for comfort. 

_"You're a fucking deviant, aren't you?"_ Connor shuts his eyes tightly, attempting to quiet the voice with no success. 

_"I want you to remember how much agonizing pain I can put you through."_   He loosens his tie nervously as heat flushes through his body. His body feels numb, as if he has lost control of his systems. It's like his programming has been rewritten completely, or like something else was controlling him like a puppet on strings. Thirium rushes through his ears loudly.

"What the hell?" Hank's voice cuts through the smothering noise. He has risen from his seat and rushed over to the panicking android.

"Connor?" He grabs him by the shoulders, making Connor's body jerk instinctively. His eyes fly open, falling on his partner's distressed expression. 

"Woah, hey easy.." Hank immediately releases him, realizing that he had scared him. 

"What happened today?" Hank inquiries. Connor forces his body in check, stopping the shaking and hyperventilating.

"Nothing Lieutenant. I'm sure it's just a system malfunction. I'm sorry I distressed you, I just need to get some air." He replies, standing up.

"Connor, you need to sit down and relax.." Hank reaches to help him back into his chair, but decides against it.

"I am fine Lieutenant, you should refrain from treating me as a human." Connor assures. He forces a smile, but his LED continues to switch between yellow and red, which gives his true emotions away.

"But, Connor you were--" 

"I am a machine Lieutenant. I will go get my system analyzed to find the issue. I am sorry for the inconvenience." He doesn't give Hank a moment to retort before he walks past him calmly. 

He sees the exit, his legs urging him to sprint for it, but everyone's eyes were on him.

"Connor!" Gavin's voice calls out to him. Connor stops in his tracks, and turns around to face Gavin, who started walking towards him from the break room.

"Where are you going?" Gavin asks with a threatening tone.

"I am- just going to get some air.." Connor assures, hoping that he didn't notice the slight stutter in his voice. 

"Androids don't need air." Gavin raises his eyebrow questioningly and steps closer. Connor's body tightens, sensing the impending conflict.

"I just- I need to be alone and check my systems." He lies, very aware of every movement that the detective makes.

"You told Hank, didn't you?" Gavin subtly reaches for his thirium regulator, just to threaten the android.

"No-no I didn't." Connor promises, feeling his heartbeat rise into his throat. With a smirk, Gavin steps back.

"Good. Now, get a fucking move on.." He hisses mischievously, turning and walking away from the android. Connor doesn't wait a second longer before he rushes out of the exit and down the street.

 

The sun is warm on his face, and a soft breeze tousles his hair gently. He's still speed walking, just trying to get as far away from everybody as possible.

Connor turns into a dead-end alleyway, seeking security from the world. The sun is beginning to set, casting a shower of brilliant orange light onto the sketchy corridor. He burrows his head into his hands, finally starting to realize how bad this situation was.

_Maybe if I talk to Gavin..._ No, that's a stupid idea, Gavin doesn't care about him. He doesn't care about his 'feelings', or the amount of panic/pain that he made Connor go through in just a day. For the first time in his life, Connor has no idea what he's going to do. He has to follow his orders, but this will only cause him pain and suffering.

_Why am I even here? I should be progressing the case._ With a frustrated sigh, he starts walking out of the alleyway. How could he be so weak and selfish? He needs to accomplish his mission, and sulking in the city isn't going to help. He continues to degrade himself, drowning in self-loathing.

Connor looks up as he hears multiple sets of footprints approaching from directly ahead of him. He sees 4 or 5 human males, all holding a blunt object of some sort. He scans their faces through the system, deducing that they've all got a horrendous criminal record. Based on their anti-android t-shirts, they probably weren't going to like him.

"Well, looks like we got a tincan!" The leader calls out as they get closer. The group circle him like a flock of vultures.

"I say we teach this fucker a lesson.." Another says, pointing a lead-pipe at him.

Connor whips around just in time to catch the bat that was being swung towards his head. He ignores the uncomfortable shift of the plastic plates in his hands. He feels a strike to his back, causing a horrid shock to run through his body. Another swing at his head drops him to the floor. Connor still manages to block another attack, but fails to react in time when somebody kicks him in the chest. They all came down on him at once, continuously whipping their weapons on his plastic body. Multiple spots of his skin had deactivated, and some cuts were deep enough to start leaking blue blood.

"Hey! What the fuck is going on down there?!" A familliar voice orders from the end of the hallway. The group stops at once, turning to face the person. Connor manages to see the faint outline of a man.

"H-Hank-?" Connor calls out desperately, his entire body throbbing with heat and agony.

"No fucking way.." The man chuckles. The android squints, trying to figure out who was there. Unfortunately, it wasn't Hank. Instead, it was none other than Gavin. Connor feels a pit drop in his stomach like a cannonball.

"Sorry guys, I thought you were beating up a human." Gavin apologizes, still laughing at the pathetic position Connor has put himself in. Connor starts to raise himself up slowly, every inch of his body begging him to stop.

"Nah, we just thought that we would teach this little shit a lesson." The leader replies, kicking Connor back down as he tried to get up.

"Oh, well don't let me stop you. Please, continue!" Gavin gestures to him, grinning evilly at the android.

"Dete-Detective Reed--please--" Connor pleads, reaching out weakly.

"Detective?" One asks, growing suspicous.

"Yeah, but don't worry. I hate androids just as much as you do, maybe more." Gavin reassures.

"Have fun Connor!!" Gavin calls out to him, walking away.

"No-no---" Connor stutters, his voice sounding robotic and broken.

"Sorry tincan, seems like your friend doesn't really want to help ya out." The android stares up at the darkening sky, wishing that he was with Hank and Sumo. What would Hank think of this? Would he be disappointed in him?

Connor isn't really given a chance to think about it before they start beating him again. At some point, he must have shutdown momentarily. But when he boots back up, he is greeted with more severe strikes to his chest. 

When they are done with him, they sprint out of the alleyway, leaving the severely damaged android to fend for himself.

It hurts. Everything is stinging with a horrible burn-like feeling. He sits up slowly, grimacing at the pounding in his head that immediately grew more immense. Connor runs a self diagnostic. It comes back with several biocomponent mildly damaged, and with a warning that his systems didn't have enough energy to patch up all of his injuries. Most of his skin had repaired itself, but several spots on his face were still a white plastic. There is a deep gash above his eyebrow that continues to drip blue blood. Connor rises slowly, holding his side in a desperate attempt to stop the pulsing pain that shook through him. He leans against the wall, trying to regain his balance and surroundings. He needs to go back to the police station to rest, Cyber Life's tower is too far away. He finds himself hoping that Hank already went home, so that he wouldn't have to see his partner like this. 

Connor limps down the streets, the lights overhead illuminating his damaged features. Many people stop and stare at him with open mouths, wondering what he could've done to get beaten up that badly. 

 

Connor falls against the glass doors fragilely and pulls the door open with all of his remaining energy. He stumbles into the station, disregarding the concerned look on the receptionist's face. It's 1:37 AM, so nobody should be in here but the androids. Which is good, because he couldn't bear anyone seeing him like this.

He stumbles towards his desk, and then proceeds to fall onto the ground with a weak exhale. He's lost all motivation and power to get up, or to even move anymore. It still hurts, everything hurts. Why won't it stop?

_Because this is my punishment for being compromised._ He blames himself, dropping his head onto the cold ground. Something must be wrong with his thermal regulator, because he can't stop shivering. Maybe it would all be better in the morning. Maybe, if he just closed his eyes--

"Connor?!" Hank's voice cuts through his thoughts suddenly. Connor forces his eyes to open, and watches as Hank rushes over to him.

"Jesus! What the hell happened to you?" His partner demands, observing his severe injuries. 

"Its- nothing Lieutenant-" Connor manages to choke. He inhales sharply through his teeth as Hank begins to pull him up.

"My God, nothing? You're really hurt Connor!" Hank manages to get him up and wraps one of Connor's arm around himself to support the android. He basically carries Connor over to his desk and places him gently in the chair. Connor looks up at him with lifeless eyes.

"I don't know what to do. You need to tell me how to help you!" Hank demands, reaching for his phone to call an ambulance.

"Lieutenant- I am fine-" The android closes his eyes, unable to keep them open anymore. Hank ignores him, dialling 911 into his mobile phone. 

"911, what's your emergency?" A woman answers kindly.

"I need an ambulance, my partner- my android, he's hurt really badly." He tries to speak calmly into the phone. The woman on the phone hesitates for a second.

"Erm, sir you should call Cyber Life for any issues with androids." 

"What?! Are you insane? He's severely beaten! He needs medical attention!" Hank shouts into the phone angrily.

"Im sorry sir, but we only handle serious situations." She states, hanging up.

"No! No, I swear to God!" Hank screams, slamming his phone down onto the table, which startles Connor.

"Okay, okay you're coming home with me." Hank lifts him up again, despite him trying to wriggle free.

"No- Hank don't- if you're going to take me anywhere, take m-me to Cyber Life." It's hard to fight back against Hank, his entire body was numb.

"There's no fuckin' way I am takin you there. I'll take care of ya' at home." He refuses, bringing Connor towards the exit.

"Hank- no-no stop!" Connor manages to pull himself free, and falls backwards onto the ground. His partner rushes to his side, holding the back of his head gently.

"Connor, hey, stay with me! Can you hear me son? Connor!" Hank's voice continues to echo within his head as he slowly shuts down, his systems unable to keep him awake anymore. 


	4. Mistakes

//SYSTEM REBOOTING- ALL INTERNAL SYSTEMS REPAIRED// Connor's body jerks himself awake. He sits up and looks around wildly, trying to figure out where he was. He feels his heart race as he deduces that he's in Hank's living room. Connor stands up quickly, nearly falling over at the sudden movement. He hears someone approaching from behind and whips around, his LED blinking red.

"Woah! Take it easy!" Hank urges, holding his hands up submissevly. He drops his defensive stance and feels his indicator glow yellow.

"Sorry Lieutenant.. I - I don't know why I did that." He admits, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart. He needs to relax, or he's gonna make everyone suspicious of what is going on.

"It's alright Connor, just sit down and relax, okay?" Hank helps him back onto the couch and sits next to him. Connor fiddles with his hands unusually, unable to sit comfortably due to the pain. He can't show Hank that he feels the horrible agony.

"So, uh, how do you feel?" He asks as Connor shuffles awkwardly, repositioning his weight onto the side of his body that doesn't hurt as badly.

"I am fine Lieutenant, I do not feel anything." He lies, his body still aches horribly. They sit in uncomfortable silence for a little longer, listening to Sumo's soft snoring from across the room.

"Are you gonna tell me what happened?" Hank commands.

"I was jumped by a gang of anti-android activists, thats all." He decides to leave out the part about Gavin, deciding it would land him in a world of hurt.

"That doesn't make sense. Aren't you designed for self-defence? How could you get beaten that badly?" Hank immediately regrets the words, watching as a cloud of shame covers the android's eyes. Instead of answering the question, Connor stands up and adjusts his tie. He glances over at the clock, which reads 12:47PM.

"12:47? I'm late! Detective Reed is going to---" Connor trails off, finally catching up to his words.

"-- have to go to the crime scene alone.. I really must go." He finishes carefully, making towards the door rushily.

"Wait- Connor!" Hank grabs him by the forearm, noticing the android stiffen at his touch. He guiltily releases his grasp.

"Connor, you don't need to go in today, you should rest. Gavin can go to the scene by his-fucking-self." Hank urges, keeping a steady gaze on him.

"No, I should really go. Thank you for helping me Lieutenant, I'll see you at the station." Connor quickly says, walking towards the door and opening it.

"Hey! Connor, what the hell--" He doesn't give Hank time to finish before he closes the door and rushes into a taxi that was waiting patiently on the street, not looking back to see Hank in the window, who watched it drive away helplessly.

 

Connor limps towards the glass doors of the station, suddenly feeling the horrendous weight of his injuries. His suit is still ripped and covered in blue blood, which is going to draw a lot of attention to him, but he doesn't have time to change. He takes a deep breath and straightens his posture, which sends cold showers of pins and needles onto his body. Struggling to keep the robotic posture, he walks through the doors.

Everybody stares at the android as he half-limps towards them.

"Hello- everyone. Has- has anyone seen Detective Reed?" Connor asks, hoping that nobody noticed that his throat was choked with pain. The officers stare at him with surprised expressions.

"Um, yeah, he's in the break room. Connor, are you okay?" A female officer asks, taking a comforting step towards him. He gives her a fake, comforting smile.

"I am fine." He assures, not noticing the footsteps that snuck up from behind him. Hands came down harshly on his shoulders and spun him around.

"You stupid fuck! Where the hell were you!?" Gavin demands, shoving him slightly. Connor stumbles backwards, his face held in a grimace as the aching laced around his body like barbed wire.

"Hey, Gavin, take it easy! Look at the poor thing!" An officer defends Connor, stepping protectively in front of him. He feels his vision shake and continues to hold himself up.

"Who fucking cares! It's a goddamn android!" Gavin shouts, his words echoing through the building.

"He looks like he's in serious pain Gavin! We need to help him." Another officer jumps in, putting an arm around the android's shoulders.

"Androids don't feel pain, you dumb shit!" Connor is having trouble keeping himself conscious. He feels the words rattle emptily through his head. 

"I am- fine everyone. Ask Detective Reed-, He saw me getting beaten and---" Connor trails off, suddenly realizing the error he's made.

"Wait, what?! Gavin, you saw him being hurt?!" Somebody bellows loudly. Gavin stares at the group in surprise, and then his glare fixes on the android. Connor's LED turns red quickly, not knowing how to salvage the situation.

"What the hell does it matter?!! He's just a machine!" Gavin screams back after a couple seconds of stunned silence and takes a step towards the officer. His shouting makes Connor flinch instinctively.

"You didn't save him? What the fuck is wrong with you!?" 

"What the fuck is wrong with  _me_?! I'm not the one getting attached to a glorified toaster!!"

"You sick bastard!" 

Gavin lunges forward, his fist cocked in position. 

"Don't!" Without thinking, Connor rushes forward and grabs his arm. He feels his heart sink at the realization of what he has done. Gavin's eyes shift to him, like a switch was flipped in his body. Gavin whirls around, grabs Connor by the arm and twists it behind his back painfully. A horrible shock shoots through the android, making a choked shriek to escape his lips. 

 The group of bystanders quickly come down on Gavin, trying to pull him off of Connor to no success. He grabs Connor by the hair and slams his head into the concrete wall repeatedly. Connor crumples to the floor, the deep gash on the side of his head beginning to bleed in one, steady stream. He can't see what's happening, his vision has filled with a static-like darkness, and the ringing in his audio processor won't fade.

The group seemingly managed to pull Gavin away and apprehend him on the ground. He was still cussing at the android, but Connor couldn't make out the words. He keeps feeling himself fade in and out of consciousness.

 

" _What the fuck!?_ " A voice calls out angrily. Warm hands grip at the sides of his face, and Hank's face fills his vision. Hank turns to see Gavin, who was being held back.

"You son of a bitch!!" Hank screams, sprinting at Gavin and tackling him to the ground. Hank's fist connects with Gavin's face repeatedly before the crowd that quickly surrounded them pulled him off.

"Get the hell over here you stupid shit!" Hank taunts, pulling against the four people who held him in place.

"What's wrong Hank? Did I break your precious toy?" Gavin spits.

"I swear to God I'm gonna--"

"ENOUGH!" A loud voice demands, silencing the roaring room. Fowler is standing on the edge of the staircase, pointing at them all.

"All three of you! Get the hell in here!" Jeffery orders, slamming the glass doors to his office. Grumbling, Gavin stomps towards the office. Hank turns to help Connor, but the people holding him shove him forward and force him into the office. 

Connor slowly starts getting up, a strange numb cold falling over him. He manages to get up on his feet, but grips the wall when he nearly loses his balance. The sudden movement makes bright, colourful spots flash horridly in the corner of his eyes. Everyone's eyes are on the struggling android as he limps weakily into the office.

 

Hank and Gavin stare at him as he enters and takes his place at the back, leaning against the wall to support himself.

"Do you wanna tell me why i've got a detective and a lieutenant fist-fighting?" Fowler leans forward, folding his hands.

"Hank's drunk for a change--" Gavin starts, before getting cut off by Hank.

"Don't you fuckin lie! He really hurt Connor!!" Hank bellows, making the android jump. Connor feels distant, like he's watching from an outsiders perspective. It's hard to focus on anything they're saying, the horrendous pulses of agony that continue to stab at his head taking all of his energy.

"Oh, please. You can't hurt something that isn't alive--"

"Stop bickering!!" Fowler intercepts, pounding on his desk.

"Hank, are you drunk?" He asks. Hank's face goes red with anger at the question.

"What th'fuck does that got to do with anythin'!?" He demands. Gavin snickers, making Hank give him a cold glare.

"Answer the question Lieutenant!" Hank grits his teeth.

"Yes, alright! I am! But, I'm not the one who bashed Connor's head into a wall!" Connor noticeably flinches at his words, the pain increasing like it was happening over and over again. He kept feeling his head being slammed into the wall. Kept feeling the shake of his vision, and the horrible pounding in his head.

"He is an android Hank! I'm more concerned with the repair costs than his well-being! Besides, he doesn't feel pain!" Fowler argues. Connor feels his thirium regulator pumping pathetically within his chest.

_If only they knew.._ Connor thinks to himself sadly. He feels his legs shake, threatening to give out, but he manages to keep himself up.

_"I want you to remember how much agonizing pain I can put you through."_ Gavin's threat pours into his ears.

_I want this to stop._   _Please make it stop._ His breathing quickens and he closes his eyes tightly, as if it would quiet the white-noise piling in his head. Everyone else in the room is still arguing, but he can't seem to hear them.

 He feels his legs give out, and drops to his knees, heart hammering against his chest.

"Connor!" Hank rises from his seat, ready to run over to him, but stops when Fowler raises a hand at him.

"Leave the fucking thing alone." Fowler orders, making Hank sink back into his seat. He glances back at the android worryingly, while Gavin is trying to hide his sneer.

"As for you Gavin, I'm going to have to suspend you for the time being." Gavin suddenly rises from his chair.

"What?! Because I damaged your precious android!?" He shouts, gesturing to Connor, who was holding his head in a desperate attempt to stop the agony.

"It is a prototype Gavin! We would have to wait weeks to replace it!"

_Replace me?_ He asks himself, not knowing why he felt betrayed.

_That- doesn't matter. I am just a machine after all.._ Connor lies, still gripping his head. He finally builds the courage to open his eyes, but immediately regrets it when he sees Gavin's murderous expression.

Gavin mouths 'I am going to kill you' to the android, which sends a hot flash of adrenaline racing across his body. Although he is terrified of that, Connor is more scared of Hank being fired and arrested. He watches helplessly as a system instability warning flashed at him threateningly.

_I have to do something. I need to make this right for Hank.._ A choice appears boldly in his system.

_//OBEY DETECTIVE REED//_

_/BLAME SELF/_

_/BLAME GAVIN/_

Knowing there is no other way, Connor reluctantly chooses to blame himself.

He starts to rise from the floor, his legs shaking violently like jello. Everyone's eyes are on him, making him feel incredibly small and defenceless.

"With- all do respect Captain, Detective Reed should not be punished for his actions. I was the one who was being disobedient." Connor states clearly and coldly. Gavin is staring at him with a smug expression, while Hank's mouth is hung open in betrayal and surprise.

"What? Connor, don't cover for this jackass--"

"Enough Hank! How were you disobeying him?" Fowler interrupts Hank and then turns his full attention on the android. Connor's hands unknowingly reach for his thirium regulator protectively, which Hank notices and his eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"I- well- I humiliated Detective Reed in front of all of his co-workers, and when he confronted me about it, I got defensive and hostile." He deceives, pressing his fingers against his pump and feeling the soft humming of his 'heart'.

"Fowler, he's obviously lying to cover Reed's ass!!" Hank argues.

"Lieutenant Anderson's drunken state may have caused him to misunderstand the situation." Connor says. He glances at Hank's hurt expression, which sends a horrible pang of guilt through him. Hank is so angry and bewildered that he can't even come up with something to say back.

"Is this true Gavin?" Fowler questions. 

"Yeah, that's what happened." Gavin sneers at Hank evilly, making the lieutenant even angrier. Connor keeps his head down, unable to look his partner in the eyes.

"Alright, in that case, your off the hook Gavin. Just try not to take your anger out on it." Fowler waves dismissively at the door, gesturing for them all to get out. Without hesitation, Connor rushes out of his office. He can still hear Hank's yelling from the break room, so he decides to head to an empty interrogation room instead.

 

Connor slips into one of the chairs and places his head against the cool metal desk. His hands grip at the sides of the table, suddenly realizing that he's shivering. He can't decide wether it's his thermal regulator acting up, or the sheer torment his body is being forced to live through. Luckily, his systems managed to patch up his old injuries from last night, but the pain still digs deep into him like poison. The deep gash on his forehead has clotted, stopping the blue blood from running down his face.

Connor hears footsteps outside his room and the metallic screech of the door opening. He lifts his head weakly to see Gavin strutting into the room, tutting his tongue in fake pity. Connor simply puts his head back down, knowing that it's not worth trying to get away or fight back. It's better to just give up and get it over with.

"Nice show in there." Gavin greets sarcastically, coming up behind the android. Connor keeps still, trying to make himself believe that if he doesn't move, Gavin won't see him. 

"Unfortunately for you, I'm still going to have to discipline you for telling them all that I saw you." Gavin's hands wrap around Connor's wrists, causing him to reflexivally pull away, but Gavin holds him tight.

"No, remember? You aren't allowed to fight back." He whispers sinisterly into his ear. Connor swallows hard and forces his body to remain robotically still.

"Good little plastic shit..." Gavin coos, stroking the android's hair to humiliate him. Connor's entire body is begging him to run, to fight, to do anything to end this mortification. He locks his joints in place and tries to ignore the feeling of Gavin's fingers running through his hair. His hands find the android's wrists again, and place them in the handcuffs nailed to the table. Gavin locks them tightly around the android's hands, immobilizing him.

"How should we punish you?" Gavin teases, keeping a steady stare on him. Connor twists his wrists around, trying to pull them out of the restraints with no success.

"Oh, I've got it. Let's play fetch." Gavin's hands reach down for his thirium regulator. Connor's entire body jerks in panic as his fingertips graze across the biocomponent.

"Wait-wait! Don't--Detective Reed, I didn't mean to--" Connor stutters, his entire body beginning to shake in terror. The sound of his own heartbeat fills his ears, and he is surprised that Gavin can't hear it.

"I don't give two fucks! You slipped up, and now you'll pay for it." Gavin interrupts angrily, beginning to unbutton the android's shirt. Connor pulls violently from the table.

"No-wait--! It- won't happen again- I promise-" Connor manages to say, even though his throat feels like it has closed completely. Gavin rips his shirt open and digs his fingernails into the edges of the major component, just like he did before. Before Connor gets a chance to further beg him, Gavin pulls out his thirium regulator and throws it across the room.

Connor sucks in a deep breath, but it feels like it is just choked out of his body immediately. His vision blares a deep red as his body jerks painfully.

_//!WARNING! MAJOR BIOCOMPONENT REMOVED: SHUTDOWN IMMINENT//_

_//0:48//_ The countdown appears and slowly ticks down to his deactivation. Gavin as taken a seat across from him, with no intentions of helping him if he doesn't get to his thirium regulator in time. He grimaces, an empty, agonizing void opening in his abdomen.

_Oh god, I'm going to shutdown._ He thinks to himself helplessly, clenching his fists. He feels empty and lifeless, unable to make any sounds at all.

_He's-he's going to let me die._ Gavin watches intently from the other side.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Fetch." He orders to the dying android, gesturing to his biocomponent, which landed at the other side of the room.

_//0:34//_ He's running out of time, he has to get out of these restraints. Connor forces his wrists to pull back from the shackles, twisting them to no success. He deduces that the only way to get out of them is to break his wrist and slip through.

Connor swallows, pins and needles digging deep into his synthetic skin. With a deep breath, he twists his wrist into a painful position and tugs hard. The snap of the plastic in his wrist makes his stomach turn as an excruciating trauma erupts within his forearm. Tears sting horribly in the back of his eyes as he grimaces, suddenly glad that his body physically couldn't scream. He tugs once more and slips the rest of his hand through, pulses of scorching torture erupting with each movement.

_//0:23//_ He stands up, his vision blurry. Connor tries to force open the shackle on the other hand, but it hurts too badly. He shuts his eyes tightly, rotating his other wrist into the same position. He pulls back, snapping that one too. His mouth is open in a soundless scream of pure suffering as he yanks the rest of his hand out.

Once he frees himself, he drops to the floor with a strangled shriek.

_//0:12//_   Connor doesn't have time to recover, so he turns himself onto his front and begins to crawl pathetically towards his thirium regulator. Every movement jerks tears towards his eyes. He feels his limbs begin to lock in place, but he continues to push forward, trying to focus on the biocomponent. Connor builds up the remainder of his energy and pain tolerance, and takes one final lunge at it. He manages to grip the regulator weakly and flip himself onto his back.

_//0:03//_ All feeling has left his hand, replaced only by blazing torment. Shakily, he manages to bring his arm up.

_//0:02//_ He forces his wrist to move closer and feels tears stream from the corners of his eyes.

_//0:01//_ Connor thrusts it back into place and inhales suddenly as it brings his programs back to life painfully.

His hand falls fragilely to his side as he feels the regulator drum panically against his chest. It hurts, it hurts so badly that his systems are too tortured to define whats wrong with him. He hears applauding through the static roaring in his ears. Gavin walks up, kneels beside him.

"You're  _pathetic_ , you know that?" He whispers, placing a hand on his thirium regulator. Connor tries to bring his hands up to protect it, but any slight movement at all sends an unbearable, hellish suffering through his arms. He inhales sharply, trying to focus on anything besides the agony.

"I'm just going to leave you in here for the weekend." Gavin states, standing up and strolling to the door. Connor can't speak, he can't even focus hard enough to put the words together.

"Have fun, you plastic fucking shit." Gavin slams the door. Connor hears it lock and Gavin's footsteps walking out of the interrogation room.

He lays there helplessly, unable to shout for help or move at all. 


	5. Breakdown

"He-help-" The android calls out as loud as he can, just as he has for an hour now. Nobody comes. Connor manages to sit up, grunting at the amount of effort it took. He looks down at his hands, and sees that they are both a mangled mess. A deep blue has formed around his wrists where the thirium had leaked through the broken plastic and risen to underneath his synthetic skin. He exhales helplessly and shuts his eyes. Only androids work on the weekends, and they aren't permitted to enter interrogation rooms. He was going to be stuck in here for 48 hours unless he gets to the door. Maybe it was better this way? He can't walk around causing trouble, or hurting himself further. At least his wrists are numb, he can't feel anything but pins and needles pricking on his finger tips.

Connor presses himself against the wall, using it to stabilize him as he slowly stood up. He makes his way carefully across the interrogation room to the door, keeping his hands as limp as possible. A blue panel glows brightly. This was going to be the hard part, pressing the switch. He moves his right hand up a little, but stops immediately when a shot of excruciating agony shoots through his tendons. He takes a deep breath as he forces his hands up, grinding his teeth together as it shook with the endeavour. The android manages to press his injured hand against the panel, tears immediately flooding his eyes. He keeps it there for a couple seconds before the pain is too much, and he drops his hand. The panel flashes red back, signalling that he did not have authority to open the door. He stares at it, all hope leaking from his body in an instant. He tries it again, and again, and again, until he drops to his knees with a choked exhale, sobs beginning to pile mercilessly in his throat. Without warning, his eyelids begin to close as Amanda drags him forcefully into the Zen Garden.

 

Connor eyes flicker open, greeted by the amber glow of autumn. Trees around him are painted with brilliant reds, oranges and yellows, their leaves floating softly into the river. The sky is bright, illuminated with a crimson shade. A faint blue glow catches his eye. He turns to see the glowing stone, but something is off about it. It's dim, the sapphire light barely visible. It pulses pathetically, calling out to him weakly. Connor starts to walk towards it, but suddenly remembers what happened last time. He turns from the stone, walking up the stone steps. His eyes meet Amanda, who's back is turned to the android. She is trimming her rose bushes and hasn't noticed him yet. He takes that as a blessing and quietly steps back from her. He doesn't want to confront her. Connor knows that she will be angry with him, and he's at his most vulnerable point right now. Connor holds his breath and begins to turn around, careful not to make a noise and attract her attention. He just needs to turn a little more, just a little more--

"Hello, Connor." Amanda suddenly appears directly ahead of Connor, making him nearly jump out of his skin, heart racing furiously.

"Hello, A-Amanda--" Connor stumbles, his entire body tense and ready to run. She seems amused by his immediate fear of her. She reaches out and grabs his shoulder, pulling him towards her.

"Let's walk, shall we?" She orders, basically pulling him along. He trudges beside her quietly, his legs shaking and threatening to give out. Connor tries to focus his beautiful surroundings, but he can't ignore her presence.

"How are you feeling Connor?" She asks finally after a couple minutes of tense silence. He doesn't know how to answer. She sees everything that happens to him, so how does she think he's doing?

"I- I am fine Amanda." Connor finally responds, deciding to play it safe. Amanda snorts in amusement, knowing that he's definitely lying.

"I must say Connor, I am not pleased with the way you are behaving."  Amanda states, like a disappointed teacher who's scolding one of her students gently. She glances at him when he doesn't respond.

"You are acting too emotional. The way you whine and beg Detective Reed not to hurt you is embarrassing, to say the least." Connor feels a lukewarm wash of shame roll over him.

"I apologize Amanda, I will st-stop resisting." He keeps his voice cold and emotionless. She seems satisfied with his answer. They continue to walk in silence for a little while, leaves crunching beneath their feet.

"How is the investigation going?" Amanda inquires.

"I- well, I haven't been able to make much progress, due to Detective Reed hurting--" He catches up with his words and stumbles to correct himself. Machines can't be hurt, right?

"--maltreating me." Connor finishes.

"Well, on the contrary, I believe our investigation is making much progress." Amanda doesn't seem to notice his mistake, or if she did, she didn't mention it. Connor glances at her, eyebrows raised in confusion.

"How? I've barely been able to examine any deviants." He argues, suddenly feeling a strong hatred for his lack of progress. 

"No, not your investigation. Ours, as in CyberLife's." She corrects him, smirking at his arrogance. He opens is mouth to say something, but no words come out. _Who is CyberLife investigating?_

"Think about it Connor. They have front row seats to an android slowly being corrupted by deviancy." Amanda keeps her mischievous stare on her as he puts the pieces together.

"Wait,  _me_?" Connor asks, feeling disbelief and betrayal. She faces forward once more, implying that he was right.

"But- Amanda- I'm not a deviant!" He stops walking and shouts, surprised by how loud his voice rose. Amanda stops in her tracks as well, and turns to him.

"Of course you aren't. But, you are being compromised." He is so shocked, he can't even find words to retort with. He was never on their side, he was their lab rat.

"Don't look at me like that, like you've been betrayed. Have you already forgotten that you're a machine?" Amanda argues angrily, but he doesn't back down.

"You are letting me be tortured, just so you can see me slowly start to break down and become a deviant?!" He yells, voice laced with hurt and rage.

"It was never our plan for you to be compromised. This is your fault Connor, you let yourself be corrupted!" Amanda counters. The whirring of his thirium regulator fills his ears.

"I--I--" He trails off, feeling a heavy weight of guilt press down on him. Of course this is his fault, he is being too emotional. Detective Reed isn't torturing him, he is simply punishing a disobedient machine. He is a machine, and nothing more.

"Trust me Connor, if you ever become deviant, i will personally make sure that you are ripped apart piece by piece, and screaming in utter agony." She leans in and whispers threateningly into his ear. He stiffens, terror rushing through him.

"I understand Amanda." He states quickly. Amanda steps back, content with his vulnerability. She holds her hand out towards the path, gesturing to him to start walking once more. He obeys, carefully walking beside her.

 

Two days pass and Connor is still locked within the interrogation room. His wrists fully repaired themselves, but they still had a faint blueness to them. At least nothing hurts anymore.

He hears the metallic screech of the door sliding open, and lifts his head to see officers walking in with a human suspect. 

"What the hell?" One exclaims, startled by the androids presence. He stands up and gives them a fake smile.

"Sorry officers, I mistakenly locked myself in here. I'll leave now." He lies, nodding them goodbye and leaving the room.

 

Connor spots Hank sitting at his desk, and decides to say hello. He walks up to him, folding his hands in front of him.

"Morning, Lieutenant." He greets with a smile. Hank doesn't look up at him, but furrows his eyebrows angrily.

"How is your shoulder?" He asks, trying his best to start conversation. Hank slams his tablet down on his desk.

"Piss off!" He shouts at the android, finally returning his stare. His LED blinks yellow as he gazes in confusion at his angry expression.

"Lieutenant, may I ask why you are upset with me?" Connor inquires gently.

"You threw me under the fuckin' bus Connor! How the hell could you defend Reed?!" Hank demands, suddenly rising from his seat.

"I was only telling the truth Lieutenant. I did not intend for you to get in trouble." Connor lies.

"Stop lying Connor! You've been acting differently ever since you got paired with that shit!" Hank challenges, stepping towards the android. 

"I am afraid I do not understand."

"This isn't the first time he hurt you, is it?" Hank shoves Connor forcefully, nearly causing him to fall backwards. He regains his balance, pushing the memories of Gavin out of his head.

"Detective Reed didn't hur-hurt me Lieutenant. I cannot be hurt, I am a machine." He says that more to himself than to anyone. He gets the sudden urge to tell everything that Gavin did to him to Hank, but he pushes it down. 

"What the hell did he do to you, huh?" Hank shoves him again. Everyone's eyes are on them, including Gavin's. Connor can't stop the memories from flooding into his mind. His hands mindlessly reach for his thirium regulator protectively.

"Why do you keep touching that?" Hank insists, pointing at his biocomponent. Connor's breathing quickens as he is reminded of Gavin ripping the biocomponent out of him. He presses his fingers against it, just to make sure it's still there.

"You act like a beaten dog when he's around!" Hank pushes him back, and this time Connor falls backwards. He scrambles to his feet, feeling his body begin to panic. He feels Gavin's fingers run through his hair mockingly. He tastes his gun, and feels it being pushed down his throat. He hears the snapping of his own wrists over, and over, and over again. Hank sees his LED turn to a deep crimson colour.

"Hey-- hey Connor calm down." Hank reaches for him comfortingly, feeling guilty. Connor steps back, staring wide-eyed at Hank. For a moment, he sees Hank turn into Gavin. 

"Connor, Im sorry, okay? Just relax--" Hank reaches for him again, but stops when Connor basically jumps away from his touch. His body has gone completely numb as adrenaline pumps through him powerfully. His limbs have locked in place defensively.

_'I want you to remember how much agonizing pain I can put you through'_ Gavin's voice rings out loudly in his head. Connor swallows hard, trying desperately to get the sick, metallic taste of gunpowder and metal out of his mouth.

 

Hands come down harshly on his shoulders from behind, startling the android and pulling him back into reality.

"Hey partner!" Gavin greets aggressively, gripping him threateningly. Connor can feel him leaning over his shoulder.

"I heard that an android broke into a networking station, and streamed live on television. We should check it out." Gavin orders. Hank stares wide-eyed at them both, still panicked about Connor.

"Uh- yes, yes we should get going.." Connor finally manages to say through his closed throat.

"Goodbye Lieutenant." He turns quickly and begins walking, hiding his red LED from Hank. He can hear Gavin's footsteps following close behind.

"Slow the fuck down!" He hisses as Connor quickens his pace. He obeys his command, slowing down to let Gavin catch up to him.

Gavin grabs his arm before the android can walk out of the doors. He then pulls Connor by the collar of his jacket, and holds him up against a wall.

"You better get your emotions in line, plastic moron. I can't have you panicking every time I'm not in the room.." Gavin whispers into his ear. Connor forces his body to remain still, even though every part of him was screaming to run away.

"I understand Detective." He replies as emotionlessly as he can. A wide sneer spreads across Gavin's face.

"Good. Now, we are gonna go investigate this, and you are gonna do whatever the fuck I say. Right?" Connor tenses under his tight grip.

"Yes, Detective." Satisfied, Gavin releases Connor and walks past him, through the doors.

Connor presses his back against the wall, starting to feel dizzy and nauseous. All he wants to do is scream and cry. He wants to let go of all the feelings that he bottled up inside his chest, which feels so tight that he may just crack. He blinks repeatedly, trying to keep the quick approaching tears away from his eyes. He realizes that the androids at reception are staring at him, LED's red. Connor waves and gives them a fake smile, but this doesn't seem to convince them. 

"Are you alright?" One asks, starting to walk towards him. He puts his hands up in a comforting gesture, implying that he was okay.

"Yes- I'm fine." Connor lies, nodding goodbye to them and walking out of the doors before they could say anything. 

He can still feel their eyes burning into the back of his head as he walks out into the fresh air. Gavin is waiting in a taxi on his phone. Connor thinks about calling another taxi, but decides against it, since it would displease Gavin. He approaches the taxi quietly and slips in, pressing himself against the side so that he can be as far away from Gavin as possible.

Without a word, Gavin types in their destination, and they drive away.

 


	6. Severe Mistakes

Connor and Gavin silently wait in the elevator as it carries them to the top floor. The android begins to reach inside his jacket for his coin, but sees Gavin’s eyes shift to him, and he stops. They finally reach the top floor of the news broadcasting station, ending their tense elevator ride.

The double doors slide open, revealing a bright white reception room with 2 officers dead on the floor. Connor starts to take a step towards them, wanting to begin investigating. Gavin slams his hand against the androids chest, startling him.

“No. You follow me, don’t go off on your own.” Gavin scolds, walking in front of Connor.

_//OBEY DETECTIVE REED//_

Connor shivers as his eyes meet his blueish wrists. He forces his emotions in check, and follows Gavin mindlessly.

“Hey detective.” An officer greets, waving him over to the dead cops. While they continue chatting, Connor kneels down and examines the officer.

Name: Miles, Joey.

Occupation: News-broadcasting tower security officer.

Time of death: Around an hour ago.

Cause of death: Clean shot to the head, centre blank between the eyes. Only an android could make a shot that precise from that far away.

Connor stands up and reconstructs the confrontation, deducing that they came in from the mechanic closet. The rest of the world seems to disappear from around him as he investigates. For the first time in forever, he’s completely forgot Gavin even exists.

The android walks off towards the blue-blood dripping down the wall. He inspects it closely, depicting that an android had been shot in the shoulder and slid down the wall. He tilts his head, noticing the multiple pairs of shoes that walked through the blood. Shoe prints match basic android equipment, meaning that the deivant had accomplices.

Connor slides his two fingers down the thirium and then stares at them. He watches the sapphire liquid start to drop into his palm. Suddenly, he's back in the alleyway, being beaten by the 4 human males. For a moment, he can still feel their weapons being struck against his body, and hear the sound of his plastic plates creaking underneath the pressure. Connor shakes the image out of his head, frustrated with himself. He brings his fingers into his mouth, and licks the thirium, analyzing it.

 

_//ANALYZING..//_

_/PL-600 ANDROID/ MODEL #501-703-923/REGISTERED AS SIMON/_ He depicts that the android was shot by one of the officers, and judging by the pattern of the splatter, it was a shot to the shoulder. Satisfied with his quick investigating, Connor stands up, unaware that Gavin is standing directly behind him. Rough hands grab at the back collar of his jacket harshly and tug him backwards, startling him.

"What the hell are you doing!? Don't eat the fucking evidence!" Gavin shouts, spinning him around and gripping the sides of his collar tightly. Connor's hands find the front of his jacket, and he tries to loosen it a little so he can breath normally. Frustrated with the android's silence, Gavin tugs again. 

"I-I apologize Detective, it's ju-just how I analyze substances. It won't happen again." Connor promises, LED blinking red. With a huff, Gavin releases his partner. He breathes heavily, trying to calm himself down as he adjusts his tie anxiously. Gavin clears his throat, gesturing to start walking. Without another word, Connor follows the detective carefully.

 

It's been a couple hours of investigating the main room, the FBI breathing down their necks the entire time. Connor hasn't left Gavin's side the entire time, constantly nervous of his presence. His systems are itching to investigate and analyze everything, but he keeps himself away, knowing that Gavin would definitely punish him for going off on his own. It's strange, Reed doesn't even try to look busy. He just stands there on his phone, talks to some people, and switches spots. Connor is very unhappy with their lack of progress. Currently, Gavin is sitting in one of the chairs and talking with someone on the phone. The android is standing patiently nearby, hands folded neatly in front of him as he tries to investigate from a distance. He overhears a couple of people talking about the scene on the roof, and is eager to check it out.

"Detective, if I may, I consider we should investigate the roof." Connor offers meekly, subtly flinching as Gavin turns to face him.

"Fine." He replies, standing up with a frustrated sigh and walking slowly towards the roof. He opens the door, a cold breeze immediately rushing through his hair and sprinkling it with snowflakes. As expected, Gavin walks over to the large metal bins and leans against it, still glued to his phone. Connor stands a fair distance away from him, trying to take in as much as the scene he can. He spots something weird, thirium drops melted into the pristine snow. For a moment, he panics, thinking that he's bleeding, but a quick system check assures that everything is fine. He tilts his head in confusion and intrigue, scanning the snow.

_//ANALYZING..//_

_/PL-600 ANDROID/ MODEL #501-703-923/_

Connor's eyes follow the trail of blue-blood, finding the last handprint splattered on the side of the metal bin.

_But, that doesn't make sense..unless_.. He thinks to himself, narrowing his eyes.

_The deviant is still here._ The world goes silent, and his vision tunnels, focusing on the door. For some reason, he is holding his breath. Connor glances quickly at Gavin, who still hasn't noticed anything. He thinks about telling the detective, but decides against it. He wouldn't believe Connor, or he would try to kill it. Cyber Life needs it alive.

Connor steps towards it quietly, being sure to not crunch the fresh snow underneath his shoes. His hands find the edge of the sliding door, feeling the cold metal against his skin. He opens it slowly, leaning in and--

A bullet tears through his shoulder, making Connor fall backwards. He scrambles to his feet, feeling a searing fire drill deep within the wound.  An android dressed in utility wear jumps out of the metal bin, firing his gun wildly. The police surrounding all of them open fire as well, making never-ending bullets ring loudly through his audio processor. Connor manages to take cover behind a small, concrete wall, holding his shoulder. He feels tears sting in his eyes, face stuck in a grimace. 

"N-no wait--" Connor pleads quietly, but they can't hear him. If they kill this deviant, he will have nothing to show for it. He can't let him die.

With a sharp inhale, he crouches, legs stiff and ready to sprint. Connor takes a breath, calming the blazing wildfire that continued to pulse horribly. For one shining moment, he isn't the android that was tortured by Gavin. He isn't the android who is failing his mission, and is being slowly corrupted by deviancy. No, right now, he is an RK-800 android, model #313-348-317. A prototype android without remorse or emotion, without the ability to feel anything. Not pain, not sadness, nothing. Just a perfect, functioning machine. Unfortunately, this feeling wouldn't last.

Connor lunges from behind his cover, the world slowing around him. He jerks himself to the side, dodging a bullet that was aimed for his chest. His eyes focus on the PL-600 android named Simon, blocking every other distraction from his view. Another bullet shoots for him, one which he ducks underneath. He vaults over the small, concrete wall that separates them, and throws himself at the android.

One of Connor's hands grab Simon's gun hand, and he pins him against the wall. His other hand grabs the other wrist, synthetic skin melting away as he connects quickly with the android's memory.

_A rusty piece of metal, with the word 'Jericho' painted on the side._ It's glitchy and hard to focus on, but he continues to dig deeper into his memory. His systems quickly define the word Jericho as 'An external or reflected state of consciousness.', so a safe house for deviants? A place where they can outwardly be who they want to be, and not have to hide it from anyone.

_A place they could be safe from any harm, a place no human could ever hurt them--_ Connor halts his thoughts, forcing himself to shake that out of his mind. There is something else in there, a code of some sort. He can't quite focus on the shape, Simon is resisting. He doesn't give up, he can't give up. Amanda will deactivate him if he doesn't find out something more. Connor has to find out, for his and Hank's safety. The image clears, almost enough to see it. Almost there--

 

The sound of a bullet being shot rings out, and there was nothing. No darkness, no light, just nothing. A horrible, crushing emptiness. Inescapable, trapping his mind in an endless abyss of hell.

What is happening? He is spiralling out of control, his body frozen in place. He is so scared, more terrified than he's ever been or ever going to be. So cold, why is it so cold all of a sudden? 

Connor wants to be with Hank. He wants to hear his voice, he wants to feel safe beside him. He wants his _partner._ Why can't he just be with Hank? What if he's dead, and never got to say goodbye to Hank? What would he do without him? What if--

 

Connor gets harshly pulled back into reality, causing him release the android's wrist and jerk away. The PL-600, crumples to the floor, the bullet wound in his head immediately bleeding. He stares down at the dead android with wide, teary eyes. He's hyperventilating, and can't focus hard enough to calm his breathing. A software instability warning appears, and he doesn't even notice it. He doesn't even feel the horribly agony of the bullet wound in his shoulder being repaired.

"What the hell you stupid fucking android!?" A voice screams out. Connor doesn't turn around, his eyes stuck on the android's lifeless eyes.

"Hey! Im talking to you, freak!" The voice calls out again, grabbing his shoulder to turn him around. He jerks away, still not turning around or responding.

"I--I was connected- to his memory when he fired--" Connor stutters, his entire body shivering uncontrollably.

"I felt him die- like I was dying-" His hands reach for his thirium regulator instinctively, feeling a strange sense of danger.

"I-I was scared..." Connor finishes, tears immediately jerking in the corners of his eyes. His eyes widen, as if he's just registered what he said. Connor blinks rapidly, clearing the tears from his vision.

"--I apologize for that Hank- I'm fine. I didn't mean to---" Connor catches his words as he turns around to find Gavin's furious expression. He feels his heart drop. Hank isn't his partner, Gavin is. How could he forget that?

"Ah--Gavin--" Gavin seems to grow angrier by the mention of his name, and not his title.

"Dete-Detective Reed--" Connor falters. He can't fix this, it's too late. If Gavin broke his wrists and nearly killed him for a small mistake before, what was he going to do to punish this train wreck of a situation? Well, it looks like he's just about to find out. With a snarl, Gavin grabs him roughly by the arm and drags him back inside the broadcasting tower.

 

Swiftly, Reed pulls him into the kitchen.

"Get out." He orders loudly to the three androids standing patiently by the counter. All of them walk out robotically. He slams the door shut, leaving him and Connor alone.

"Detective--" 

"Are you fucking broken or something?!" Gavin screams at him, making the android reach instinctively for his thirium regulator. Connor can't think of anything else to say, so he clamps his mouth shut and keeps his eyes on the floor. Gavin chuckles sarcastically at his submissive behaviour.

"I said that you stay with me! Not go off on your fuckin' own and almost get us all killed!!" He hollers, noticing the android shift at his rage.

"It- it- won't happen again Detective-" He promises meekly, suddenly feeling the horrible aching in his shoulder as the adrenaline leaks from his body.

"That's not fucking good enough!" Gavin shouts, closing the distance between them so that Connor was pressing himself against the counter.

"I'm going to have to make sure that this never happens again.." Gavin whispers threateningly, leaning closer so their faces almost touch. Connor watches a spark of madness dance in his eyes.

"Wait- Detective--" He begins to plead before being cut off by Gavin.

"Give me your hand." He orders, smiling madly. Connor stares back at him with a blank, confused expression.

"Give. Me. Your. Hand." Gavin repeats with a hostile tone. Slowly, Connor releases his thirium regulator and offers his right hand to Gavin obediently. With a smug expression, Gavin grabs it. He observes as Connor flinches when his hands brush against his bruised wrist. The android feels his throat tighten as Gavin's eyes meet his again.

Without hesitation, Gavin grabs a knife from the table, slams his hand down back against the table, and stabs it into his palm mercilessly. A guttural shriek nearly escapes his tightened throat before Gavin clamps his hand over the android's mouth, feeling his body shake under his touch.

"Don't you make a fucking noise, or I'll make this 'session' longer..." He threatens, grip still on the knife stabbed into Connor's hand.

_//OBEY DETECTIVE REED//_

_/DON'T MAKE ANY NOISE/_ Tears stream down his face, eyes wide with horror and surprise. Gavin takes his hand off of his mouth, still glaring into the android's pained expression. Connor grinds his teeth in a desperate effort to not make any sound at all. Gavin snorts and twists the knife, cutting deeper into the plastic plates in his hand. A quiet whimper slips through Connor's quivering lips, causing Gavin's eyebrow to raise tauntingly.

_/OBJECTIVE FAILED/_

The detective reaches for another knife on the table beside them and brings it over his bleeding palm. Connor's other hand reflexively grabs Gavin's wrist, trying to keep the sharp blade away from him at all costs.

"Remember what I said about resisting?" Gavin mocks with a amused snort. Connor barely has time to realize his mistake before Gavin clutches his other wrist and bends it backwards dramatically, resulting in a loud snap as the weak plastic in his wrist splinters. This time he did scream, but he was cut off by Gavin shoving a dirty rag into his mouth. Gavin takes his re-broken wrist and slams it down on the table, making a cold rain of pins and needles to fall hard onto his left arm. He then grabs the knife and jabs it deeply into the inside of his wrist. Unfortunately, it didn't go all the way through, so Gavin hammers it deeper in with a small meat tenderizer. Connor can feel his vision shake, he can feel the metal being forced painfully into his wrist. His breathing catches like trapped flies in his throat, desperate to get out.

"It's funny how easy it is to break you." Gavin mocks, grabbing the android's jaw and observing his face. He takes the meat tenderizer in his hand again and positions it above Connor's kneecap.

_/JERICHO: AN EXTERNAL OR REFLECTED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS/_ Connor's systems define quickly. He focuses on the bright words, confused by their appearance. Why now? Why is it defining that word now?

_/JER1CH0: A PL4CE H3 CANN0T HUR7 Y0U/_  He shuts his tear-filled eyes, hoping that it would get rid of the words, but it doesn't. It's like they are burned into the back of his eyelids, and trapped permanently into his head like a horrid memory. 

_Please stop.._ Connor begs his programming, his chest so tight that it feels like the plastic is cracking under the pressure. The words flicker and glitch out of his vision as the meat tenderizer collides with his knee, shattering the plates deep within his leg. Loud sobs come through the gag in his mouth as a horrible numb wash falls over every part of him. The only thing he can feel is the steady wet streams of thirium running down from his cracked knee. Gavin smashes it into his other knee over and over, causing all of his pain to explode at that one moment. His legs give out, unable to support his weight. Connor feels his body slip downwards, making the knife tear through his hand painfully. He has nothing to hold himself up with, except for the objects keeping his hands pinned to the table. 

Gavin grips both knives and pulls them out of him, twisting them drastically as they release. Without the support of the blades, the android drops to the floor with a choked groan, unable to move any part of his body. He rolls the android onto his back and looms over him superiorly. He rips the gag out of Connor's dry mouth and throws it beside them. No sound comes out of his throat, even though he's trying to scream, or to make any noise at all. Connor attempts to get up, or push Gavin away, but his body isn't obeying his commands. Gavin tuts his tongue in disapproval. The detective digs two fingers into his bullet wound, and carves his nails into Connor's exposed tissue. The android whimpers quietly, that being the only noise he can make. Gavin tears his fingers and holds them in front of Connor's lips, making his own blood drip down his chin.

"Open your mouth and analyze this." Gavin demands, pressing his blood-coated fingers against his lips. Humiliated and afraid, Connor parts his lips slightly. Gavin sticks his fingers into the android's mouth, sliding Connor's sapphire coloured blood onto his tongue. It tastes sick and metallic, nearly making him gag.

_//AN4LYZ1NG//_ Gavin pulls his fingers out and looks at him mishceviously.

"Read the results out loud." He orders, watching Connor's eyes darken with shame.

_/RK-800 ANDR01D/ M0D3L #313-248-317/ LAB311ED AS C0NNOR/_ The text is glitchy, and a loud static has started to overwhelm his audio sensors.

"R--RK-800 andro-android-" Connor repeats, his voice not sounding like his own. It's rough and robotic, not sounding even slightly human like it usually does.

"Mo-del-- 313-248-317" He continues reading out, shutting his eyes because he was too mortified to look at Gavin. The holes in his hands are churning with acid-like agony, but they aren't the worst part. His knee's hurt the most, and he continuously hears the sound of his kneecaps shattering into hundreds of shards.

"La-labelled as Con-C-Connor--" Saying his own name sounded wrong, no one calls him anything except derogatory slurs. He holds his breath as Gavin leans into his ear.

"And guess what, that's exactly what Cyber Life is going to find all over the walls if you continue to fuck up. Your blood will be **everywhere**.." Gavin threatens, bringing his hand over the android's weak thirium regulator. Connor feels a rush of adrenaline and panic as he realizes that he's unable to defend himself. 

"Do you understand me?" He asks, feeling the weak pumps of blue blood being rushed throughout the android's system. Connor nods frailly, keeping his body as still as possible. Gavin snorts as he stands up over him.

"Yeah, that's what I fuckin' thought.." He spits, and kicks him one last time in the chest, blowing the little amount of air out of the android. The detective strolls out of the room, seemingly happy with himself and not looking back at the shaking android.

Connor takes steady breaths, a wave of torment rolling over his body with each one. He still can't shake the feeling that this cycle was never going to end.  How many times is this going to happen to him?  He gets tortured over and over again, so when would it end? He wouldn't admit that the answer was when he was deactivated. Maybe it would be better like that. He immediately thinks of Amanda's threats, and shakes the thought out of his head. It doesn't matter, he just needs to wait for his knees to repair, and then he will walk out of here like nothing happened. 

_No, no stop it. You are not a deviant, you will complete your mission. That's all that matters, your pain doesn't matter._ Connor tells himself over and over again, not sounding as confident as he once was. 

_You will not become deviant._ He tells himself,

_You will not become deviant._ Again,

_You will not become deviant._ And again.

It doesn't matter how many times Connor repeats it, he doesn't really believe himself anymore. He tries to stop thinking, but when you're lying in a pool of your own blood, what else could you do?

But then, a scarier question enters his head, one he can't shake.

 

_But, what If I already am?_  

 

 


	7. Wishful Thinking

It took a total of 7 agonizing hours for Connor's systems to repair his knees and re-broken wrist. Unfortunately, his systems didn't have enough energy to repair the large holes in his hands, so he was in a taxi headed for Cyber Life tower. Hopefully they could help him, and hopefully he could keep his emotions in check around them.

The cab pulls up to the snow-covered curb, Connor silently shaking in the back as he tries to quiet his breathing and soft sobbing. The pain was still immense, and he couldn't get the horrid memories out of his head. It's like he's stuck in a thunderhead, bolts of lightning being the stinging that kept him panicked. Every time he closes his eyes, he sees Gavin's smug smile. The door slides open, startling the android out of his day-nightmare. 

Carefully, Connor steps out, his weak knees shaking with effort to keep him supported. His system could only do so much to help him, Cyber Life would have to finish the job. He stumbles inside the tower, noticing every soldiers eyes shift to him warningly. Straightening his posture, he looks around. The tower looks as it always has, every surface bright white, and armed to the teeth with guards. It does look pretty how the snow floats softly to the ground outside the glass walls. He starts walking through the metal detectors, before one soldier slams a hand against his chest, stopping him. This gesture reminds Connor of Gavin, and it makes him begin to hyperventilate.

"Where the hell d'ya think you're going?" He asks, shoving him back slightly. Connor feels his LED spin into red, and shakes the image of Gavin out of his head.

"I apologize-, I'm just here to be repaired. I--I am a Connor android." Connor tells them meekly, terrified that somehow, Gavin was right behind him and ready to break him again. The soldier glances at his partner, as if they were communicating with eye contact.

"You're not permitted to be repaired anymore." The other one responds dryly. He stares at them with a blank expression, his body begging him to stop the pain in anyway he could. It pleaded Connor for a solution he cannot provide, he simply can't stop the torment.

"I- There.. there must be something wrong with the system.." Connor tries to convince him, but he shakes his head.

"We've been given specific orders to keep you from being repaired. Just you, any other androids are welcome to be fixed up." The other adds.

 _(They figured it out, didn't they?)_ Gavin's voice scolds him.

 _(They've found out that you're just a scared, little whipped deviant. Just a machine, who's broken past fixing.)_ The detective continues, causing Connor's knees to almost give out.

"D-do you know why?" He asks, more desperate than he intended to sound.

 _(It's because you're such a weak, little shit. They don't have any use for an android who can't defend itself, or gets easily manipulated.. who does that sound like?)_  Reed mocks.

"The company has it's reasons. We are going to have to ask you to get out, you're getting blood on the floor." He says nonchalantly, pointing to the trail of blue-blood that was dripping from his hands. He stands there, mouth open with words drying up and dying in his closed throat. Without another word, Connor turns, and trudges helplessly out of the tower, feeling his heartbeat throb in the stab wounds. His mouth still has the sick taste of thirium, which constantly reminds him of the shame and mortification Gavin put him through. He slips back into the cab and burrows his face into his hands, seeking protection and security from the cruel world.

 _Where am I going to go?_ He asks himself, willing to do anything not to go back to the police station, at least for tonight. In the morning, he would have no choice.

 _Maybe Lieutenant Anderson?_ The slight thought of Hank makes his shoulders relax a little. He blankly types in Hank's address, and presses himself against the side of the cab instinctevely as it takes off.

 

Connor starts to feel guilty just as the taxi pulls up to his house. He steps out, gazing at the door desperately. He exhales in frustration.

 _(Would you really risk the safety of your 'friend', just to make yourself feel better? You are quite the selfish shit, aren't you?)_ Gavin's voice enters his head again, immediately causing his heart rate to increase. Gavin's right, isn't he? Connor shouldn't be putting Hank's safety at risk, and besides, it's better if he just doesn't see him like this. 

Connor spins on his heel and begins walking towards the taxi once more, beating himself up for letting his emotions carry him this far. Suddenly, the front door opens from behind him. He turns quickly to see Hank walking outside.

"Connor? What th' hell are you doing out there? it's 2:43 in the morning!" He asks, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Connor finds that all possible answers have simply turned to the mist in his breath.

" I- just- I'm sorry Lieutenant, I just wanted to see how you were doing. I wasn't aware of the time- I'll leave now." The android finishes quickly, turning once more.

"Hey, wait! Connor---" Hank's eyes see the blue blood that was stained into the white snow, and they trail up to see the large holes in his hands. Connor swiftly puts his hands behind him, but it's too late, Hank already saw them.

"Connor, what the hell happened to you?!" Hank reaches for his arm to examine the injuries, but Connor pulls away.

"Nothing- it's nothing.. I--I got attacked by a deviant during the case earlier." His face is stuck in a slight grimace as his hands brush against one another.

"God, that looks like it hurts. Here, come inside, I'll take care of it." Hank gestures to the front door. Connor shakes his head, and takes another step back.

"I'm fine Lieutenant. I don't feel pain, I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" He lies dismissively.

"No, you're comin' with me. That's an order." Hank demands, pointing at the doorway. His programs stutter, unsure of how to absorb the situation, so it falls back on its fundamental function.

 _//OBEY//_ With an exhale of defeat, Connor walks into Hank's warm house.

 

He is immediately greeted by Sumo, who pads over and presses his head against Connor.  He refrains from petting the dog and waits for Hank's next order as he glances around. Hank's house is messy, but cozy, with comfortable couches, and garbage littered around. He follows the lieutenant into his kitchen.

"What are you just standing there for? Sit down." Hank points at a chair, gazing at him suspiciously. Connor takes his seat, keeping his back as straight as possible. Hank disregards his strange behaviour, reaching for bandages and rubbing alcohol. He takes a seat across from Connor, and slowly reaches for his wrist. This time, the android doesn't pull away, even though every instinct is screaming at him. Hank starts to dab the disinfectant on the wound, but stops when Connor inhales sharply through his teeth. It stings so badly, feeling like the instant the knife penetrated his palm.

"Are you alright?" Hank asks worryingly. Connor wipes the contort off of his face.

"Yes Lieutenant, I am fine. I just-  don't want you wasting resources on me. The wound won't benefit from disinfectant." He lies, unable to bear another drop without showing a pained expression. Hank puts the bottle back down gently, and begins wrapping each hand. Everytime the fabric brushes against his open, gooey wounds, Connor has to fight the urge to yelp. As he wraps each injury, Hank eyes find his bluish wrists, one wrist being more purple than blue.

"Fuckin' hell Connor! What happened there!?" Hank insists, keeping a tight hold on the android as he tries to pull his arm away.

"Erm- a deviant held me down and broke my wrists." The look of utter horror spread across Hank's face makes him shiver.

"And Reed didn't help you!?" Hank nearly shouts. 

 _(Well, I helped you break your wrists..)_ Gavin teases. Connor keeps his gaze away from Hank's face. He doesn't think he can handle seeing Hank so upset.

"Detective Reed- was-- interrogating another android." Connor lies quietly, looking down at his wrists in shame.

"Jesus Connor, you need to be more careful!" Connor noticeably flinches at his raised tone, making Hank immediately feel guilty.

"Look, I'm going to come back from my leave of absence tomorrow. We'll be partners again, okay?" Hank tells him, placing a hand on the android's shoulder comfortingly. Connor's eyes dart up to Hank's face.

"Really?" He says, a little to eagerly. 

"Yeah, I've already sent the request to Fowler." Connor feels himself relax, a cool, numb feeling of hope filling him. Which in itself isn't a feeling he has experienced in a while. Gavin wasn't going to be able to hurt him anymore. The thought alone made the pain subside.

"If that's what you want Lieutenant." He says, trying to hide his utter relief.

"Now that's settled, you need to rest. You can sleep in my spare room" Hank points at the room at the end of the hall.

"That's alright Lieutenant. I can take the couch, besides, I don't really sleep." He assures, giving Hank a smile.

"Yeah, okay. So-uh- I'll see you in the morning." Hank walks off into his bedroom and shuts the door. 

Connor settles into the couch and closes his eyes, putting his systems into rest mode. That night, he forces his systems awake multiple times after horrid nightmares of torture.

 

Hank and Connor walk into the station together the next morning, immediately making the android feel safer. His hands repaired overnight, leaving behind a deep navy bruise and a small scar. It still hurts, but nothing compared to yesterday. As they enter the scene, Connor quickly scans the groups of people for Gavin, and is relieved when he cannot locate the detective. They both make their way over to Hank's desk and take their seats. Connor takes a moment to quickly upload his memories into the computer, just so if he was deactivated, they wouldn't lose progress. Deactivated. The word came along with its own feeling of emptiness, just like the feeling he experianced while connected to Simon.

 _I felt it die..._ His own voice replays through his head.

 _I-I was scared.._ Connor shakes the noise out of his head, trying to focus on anything else.

"Hey dumbass!" A voice greets from across the station, startling he android out of his own mind. Connor turns in the direction to see Gavin, surrounded by a bunch of officers, all laughing at his blank expression.

"Good morning, Detective Reed." Connor answers emptily, quickly turning to face the screen again. He can hear them chuckling at him.  What had Gavin told them? Did he tell them about the countless hours Connor had spent shivering on the floor, screaming for someone to help, only to stop several hours later when nobody came? Or maybe he was telling them how he likes to remove the android's heart, just to sit there and watch him begin to panic and settle into demise.

 _No, stop it._ He cuts his thoughts off.

 _He is not torturing you, just punishing a machine. You are nothing but a machine._ It didn't help to tell himself he was worthless, it only made Connor feel more shame. 

 _(Or maybe, I'm telling them all how pathetically you begged me to not hurt you-- )_ Gavin's voice tells him, and he can almost feel the detectives presence over his shoulder.

 _Stop it!_ Connor orders harshly, scratching his nails against the desk in helpless frustration.

 _(No, I've got it. I'm describing the sound of your wrists snapping in two, telling them how you moaned in agony as you crawled across the floor. After that, I'll tell them what I'll do to you next..)_ He can feel the glossiness of tears began to cover his eyes like a thin film.

 _You're not real._ Connor says more to himself, willing his mind to comprehend the statement.

 _(I may not be real, but your pain is..)_ His voice chuckles, fading deeper into his mind were it lays, waiting like an apex predator for another opportunity to torment him. Connor glances up, just to make sure that Hank didn't notice any of it, which he didn't.

The captain's door swings open.

"Anderson and Reed, get in here. Bring the android too." He bellows out and walks back inside his glass office. Hank gives him a comforting nod as they stand up at walk towards the office. 

 

Hank takes a seat, and Connor takes his position at the back. Gavin finally enters and slouches into his chair nonchalantly. Fowler stares at all of them with a cold expression.

"So Hank, you want to come back from your leave?" He starts, leaning forward and beginning to write something down in a file. A hopeful bubble rises in Connor's chest.

"Yeah, I'm gonna' go crazy if I spend one more day on desk duty." Hank responds. Connor meets Gavin's strange glare, and sees him facing the android. Gavin is smiling evily, like he knows something that Connor doesn't. He feels his heart beat increase.

"I'm moving you back onto homicide. Gavin will stay on android cases, and will be the android's permanent partner." Once the words leave Fowler's lips, Connor feels his stomach drop. The pain rushes into his knees like a switch was flipped in him. He feels his vision blur together, colors mixing and melting into each other like watercolor paint. The bubble that was rising higher and higher popped, spilling demise into him.

"What-?" Connor and Hank exclaim simultaneously. He leans against the wall, feeling all the hope drain from his body in an instant, replacing itself with the empty feeling of dread. Hank has risen from his seat, and his eyes dart between Gavin's grin and Fowler.

"What the hell're you talkin' about!?" Hank slams his hands down on the table angrily.

"Cyber Life has requested that Connor stay with Gavin. They believe that he works better with Reed." Fowler tells them.

 _What?_ He repeats, but this time in his head.

 _Bu-but how-?_ He glances over at Gavin, who is now staring at him with a victorious smirk.

"We've almost cracked the fuckin' case! Why can't you be on my side for once?!" Hank screams now as Gavin rolls his eyes.

"Goddammit Hank! He's an android, not your goddamn babysitter! He needs to be undestracted, and your drinking is merely a hindrance!" Fowler yells back at him, throwing the file back onto the desk angrily. The lieutenant stares back at him with a raged expression, but underneath his wrath was a layer of betrayal and the old wound of his loss. He stares back at Jeffery, mouth agape.

"If-if I may have some input on the matter--" Connor begins to say, willing to do anything to not be paired with Gavin anymore. He doesn't want to be in pain anymore.

"Hank, I really don't understand the big deal! One minute, you can't stand androids and the next, you can't stand to be without it!!" Fowler cuts him off, but Gavin hears his quiet voice and laughs.

"Reed, don't you want to be back on homicide?" Hank demands, turning to him sharply. Gavin leans back, face widening into a maddening grin.

"I'd actually like to stay on android cases. It's useful to have a pet follow you around all day.." He replies, his gaze never leaving the android's face.

 _Pet.._ Oh god, how he hated that word.

 _You act like a beaten dog when he's around!_ Hank's voice rings out as the memory plays through his subconscious vividly.

"But Lieu-Lieutenant Anderson is more exp-experienced and- and qualified for this investigation, Captain." Connor stutters weakly, grasping at straws now.

"Cyber Life specifically told me to keep you two together, so they feel differently on the matter." Fowler responds, not bothering to look at him.

"And if you disobey Cyber Life, who knows what will happen.." Gavin threatens, that stupid smile not leaving his face for even a second. Cyber Life had requested that he stay with Gavin? But, why? Why would they do this to him?

Connor can't breathe, his throat sucking in breath only to have it dissipate before it reaches his chest. He manages to keep his body still, even though his own heart racing against his chest nearly makes him shiver.

Hank and Fowler start yelling at each other, arguing relentlessly while Gavin says nothing, still grinning. It's all too overwhelming. The voices melt into each other, sounding twisted and wrong.

At once, all of the horrid pictures of his beaten self flash through his head.

The snap of his wrists. The splintering noise of the hammer being rammed against his knee. The clack of his thirium regulator being thrown across the room, landing far from his dying body. The sound of the bullet being fired, plunging him into an eternal sea of darkness, that of which he cannot escape from.

And in an instance, he's back in the office, listening to Hank's raged screaming. 

 _How- how could they do this to me?_ Connor thinks to himself dimly, hand immediately reaching for his heart. 

 _(Maybe because you're nothing but a machine.. or maybe they think I 'encourage' you to do better..)_ Gavin answers, his voice closing down on Connor's sanity like a cornered child.

"Im sure CyberLife has their reasons, but I'd-I'd still like to be paired with Lieutenant Anderson---" Connor states submissively, being cut off once more by Fowler.

"You don't get a fuckin' choice! You're an android!" He yells, slamming his hands down out of frustration. The realization hits him like a train going full speed.

 _(You're a deviant..)_ Fake-Gavin teases.

_N-no Im not!_

_(Yes you are, and you know it.)_

_I- I--Im-_

_(You've become the very thing you were hunting. You **failed**.)_

_You're wrong! I am not a deviant!_

_(Than prove it! Swallow your 'so-called feelings' and follow your orders! Take the pain like a machine, because that's what you are. Right?)_

_Yes-yes I am a machine._

_(Just a machine..)_

_Just- just a machine, nothing- more_

_(Good useless pet.. Now, start acting like it.)_

God, it was so hard. It was so hard to push down the shaking. Too impossible to choke down his screams. Too hard to keep the tears from coming. But, he was going to try because  _Connor isn't a deviant._ He is a  _machine,_ and he needs to stay that way for Hank's sake.

When he opens his eyes again, Hank had already stormed out of the room, nearly shattering the glass door by slamming it so hard. 

"Oh also, before I forget, Reed.." Fowler takes his seat once more, face beet-red from yelling.

"CyberLife has given you permission to be more 'rough' with Connor." Connor feels the color from his face drain, eyes wide with horror. 

"Oh, is that so?" He can't see Gavin's face, but he's almost certain that he has a wide sneer, imagining all the awful things he can do to his 'pet' now.

"Yes, they didn't have an explanation. Now, go start investigating, we get more and more complaints every day." Fowler orders, pointing at the door. Connor rushes through the door, before Gavin even gets the chance to stand up.

 

He slips into his desk, hoping Hank didn't notice him.

"You a'right Connor?" Hank asks, inspecting his expression carefully.

_No, Im broken. Im already broken. They're gonna disassemble me Hank, im scared. I don't want to deactivate like Simon._

_I don't want to be with Detective Reed anymore, I don't think I can handle it. Please Hank, please I need you to help me._ Connor thought desperately, wanting to scream out every single word.

But, the only sentence that came out was: "Yes, I am perfectly fine Lieutenant."

 

 

 

 _//!WARNING! SYSTEM INSTABILITY *_ ⬆*//


	8. The Kamski Test

Connor can't stop himself from remembering that terrible feeling when Simon killed himself. It was so dark, it was so cold, making him tremble. But it wasn't too dark, it was too  **deep**.

He shakes his head subtly, eyes searching for something to distract himself.

"Hey Dipshit!" Gavin's voice calls out from across the station. Connor has to prepare himself before he turns towards the detective.

"Yes Detective Reed?" He answers calmly, finally turning his attention to him. 

"We're leaving." Gavin orders impatiently, crossing his arms.

"Where are we going?" He asks timidly, causing a huff of frustration to release from Gavin.

"Does it fucking matter?! I said we are going, so let's fucking go!" Sensing the impending conflict, Connor's LED turns bright red. He rushes to his feet, and quickly walks across the station, too terrified to say goodbye to Hank.

\-------------

Hank watches Connor and Gavin walk out of the station together, noticing that Connor's hands mindlessly go for his thirium regulator once again.

"Why th' hell does he keep doing that?" Hank asks to himself, watching the two figures disappear from behind the doors. Hank can't help but feel incredibly worried for the android. He laughs darkly to himself, crossing his arms.

"Fuck, y'know the world is going to shit when I start worrying about an android." He says grimly to himself, pushing Connor away from his mind. But, he can't stop himself from thinking of him.

His stressed eyes find the door once more, seriously considering going after Connor. Hank rolls his eyes.

"If Cyber Life trusts Gavin enough with Connor, than he's fine.." Hank assures himself, calming his nerves and getting back to work.

\------------

Connor hesitates before he steps into the taxi. He sees the detectives eyes shift to him, and he basically jumps into the cab out of panic.

"Elijah Kamski's house." Gavin orders into the speaker of the taxi, and it keys in the address. 

"Wait- we are going to see Elijah Kamski?" Connor asks in disbelief. 

"You got a problem with that?" Gavin spits with a fiery glare. Connor feels his heart jump into his throat.

_He's escalating. He's more in control, and he'll be harsher as a result._

"No- no- of course not- I just- I don't know how that will help our inves-tigation" Connor answers quickly, every word coming out in small stutters. With a scoff, Gavin takes his phone out and has completely forgotten that he exists. Connor can barely keep himself from fidgeting with something the entire drive there.

 

He hears the fresh crunch of snow underneath his own shoes as Connor slowly steps out of their cab. Gavin sighs impatiently, rushing Connor to quickly catch up with him. They begin to walk into the doorway when Gavin's ringtone goes off. Gavin slams a hand on his chest and pushes him back, answering the call.

As the detective chats with someone, Connor can't help but feel increasing anxiety crowding the rational corners of his mind. Why was he so worried?

 _(Maybe cuz' you're going to see the creator of androids, who will almost definitely tell you're a deviant..)_ Gavin chimes in his head mockingly. Connor doesn't even try and retort to the comment, knowing that the voice was just a delusion.  _ ~~But what if it isn't?~~_

"Fuck!" Gavin shouts unexpectedly, harshly shoving his phone back into his pocket. Connor jumps at the sudden noise.

"Is-is everything alright detective?" He asks sheepishly, subtly leaning away from him. Gavin sighs deeply, turning his darkened gaze in the android's direction.

"Two officers were just murdered by a group of deviants leading a protest." He spits, as if this was Connor's fault. He can't even find a way to respond. Surely Gavin wouldn't punish him for another android's actions, right? _~~Wrong.~~_ ~~~~

"I am- I am sorry to hear that detective-"

" **Shut the hell up, Tin Can!** " Gavin screams, pushing him backwards into the snow. Connor kicks his feet erratically, snow flying into the air as he struggles to get away. Meanwhile, Gavin hasn't moved, still staring at him with deadly focus. He finally manages to get onto his feet, feeling a cold burn on his back.

Suddenly, the front door to Kamski's house swings open, revealing a very beautiful android. She has blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, and is wearing a blue dress. Connor systems identify her (without his permission) as an RT600 android. The first android to pass the turing test.

"Can I help you?" She asks gently, LED flashing yellow has she sees Connor's terrified expression. Gavin keeps his stare on Connor a little longer, as if to say  _"You got lucky this time.."._

"I'm here to see Elijah Kamski." Gavin orders, finally turning his attention to her. She gives him a smile and holds the door open welcomingly. Gavin trudges in without a thought, while Connor is having trouble getting his legs to unlock.

"Are you alright?" The RT600 asks kindly, watching him with worried eyes. Connor snaps himself out of the trance of fright, and gives her a forced smile.

"I'm fine." He assures, still smiling as he walks through the doors.

 

"Mr. Kamski will be with you shortly." She says, walking through a door which closed behind her. As to be expected, Kamski's house is extremely fancy. With statues placed variously around, and several famous artworks by Carl Manfred.

"Man, she's hot, isn't she? Too bad she's a fuckin' android, or I'd totally bang that." Gavin observes, whistling mockingly as he collapses into a red velvety chair. Connor gives him a disgusted glare, but quickly recovers once he realizes.

"What's wrong Connor? You look a little disturbed.." Gavin teases, smiling maniacally.

"I guess-- I just don't understand those feelings." Connor lies, biting down hard on his tongue as the urge to speak rises.

 _(I know why you get so angry by that..)_ Fake Gavin enters once again. 

_Stop it._

_(It's because that reminds you of those girls at the Eden Club.)_

_No it doesn't, completely different circumstances._

_(Oh come on. You're thinking of them. The slight thought of Gavin laying hands on an android in that way is too much to bear, because you've seen what has happened to those androids. You really can't expect me to believe that you're not thinking of them.)_

Connor can't even reply to that. He doesn't know how to. 

 _(Yeah, that's what I thought.)_ A picture catches Connor's attention, and he walks up to it.

It's a picture of Kamski with Amanda, making his heart race feverishly.

 _Amanda?_ He stares in disbelief at her face, and then his gaze trails down to the subtitle underneath her name.

**Amanda Stern**

**May 14th, 1978- February 23rd, 2027**

_She is dead? How can she be dead?_ Connor thinks to himself, which makes a strange numb wash over him. He can't tell if its relief or terror, because if Amanda is dead, who is in his head?

"Dipshit!" Gavin calls out, which the android doesn't respond to. He's too shocked to even hear Gavin's voice.

"Hey! Fuckface!" Gavin tugs harshly on his arm, making his LED spin red.

"Ye-yes detective?" He responds finally, startled. Gavin gestures towards the open doors, which had just opened, revealing the RT600 android again.

"Let's fuckin' go." Gavin shoves him through the doors.

 

A large pool stretches out in front of them. Two RT600 androids are in the water hanging off the side, chatting amongst themselves. Connor spots a man underwater, who surfaces shortly after.

"Just a moment please." He utters to them before diving underwater once more. Gavin sighs impatiently, walks over to the two chairs on the other side of the room and sits down. Connor hesitates as he stares at the androids in the pool.

 _Why does he have three models of the same android?_ He thinks to himself. Their eyes flick up to his, and they give him a smile. He returns a false smile before scurrying off.

 _(Maybe so when one gets worn out, he--)_ Connor stops the voice in his head before he can finish, and walks to stand beside (yet fairly far distant) from his 'partner'.

The man underwater finishes a length of the pool, and rises. He climbs up the silver ladder to reveal his features. He is probably in his mid thirties, with black hair pulled back into a ponytail, and the sides of his head shaved. Connor's systems identify the man as 'Elijah Kamski', the creator of androids. Elijah wipes himself down with a towel, and holds his arms out as the android comes up behind him with a robe. She ties it around his torso, and steps back with her hands folded, ready for any order.

"How can I help you gentlemen?" Kamski asks, finally turning his attention to them.

"Your dumbass tincans are causing trouble. You know anythin' about that?" Gavin asks with a threatening, cold tone.

"By 'causing trouble', I assume you are referring to their desire to be free, or 'deviancy' if you wish. Can the want to be free from slavery be as infectious as a disease, or is it merely a system fault?" Kamski answers vaguely, frustrating the detective.

"Look, I didn't come here to discuss morals. You're androids are murdering people. So you better start talking.." Gavin states, rising from his seat. To both their surprise, Kamski chuckles.

"What is your name?" Kamski asks, turning to Connor, who has stayed silent.

"Oh-- My name is Connor." He answers.

"What about you Connor? What do you want out of this?" He questions, smirking. Connor expected Gavin to jump in, but he doesn't. Instead, he is watching intently. He feels his LED spin yellow, trying to figure out what the best answer would be.

"Androids- are just machines. Deviancy is nothing more than a system malfunction caused by irrational orders, or emotional trauma." Connor says like he's reading from a script, which in a way he is.

_(Do you really believe that?)_

"No, that's what you're programmed to say. I'm asking  **you** Connor. What do  **you** want?" He repeats. Silence hangs in the air, so thick you could see it.

"It- doesn't matter what I want." Connor insists, fighting the urge to glance at Gavin's expression. It's like Kamski can see right through him, like he can see the vivid memories of pain and suffering. He waves the RT600 android over.

"This is the first android to past the turing test, her name is Chloe." He takes her delicate hand, showing her off like a new car.

"Beautiful, intelligent, never grows old. A rose that will never wilt..." Her face remains emotionless, like stone. 

"I like to perform my own test of sorts." Kamski states, releasing her hand and walking over to the drawer. 

"Call it the' Kamski Test' if you will.." He opens it slowly and takes something out, but Connor can't quite see it. Kamski turns around to face them all once more, holding a gun. Connor tenses, but Kamski must have noticed because he puts up his hands comfortingly. He walks over to Chloe, places a hand on her shoulder and lowers her onto her knees.

"Are androids merely machines following orders, or are they living beings?" He asks intriguingly, walking to stand behind Connor. Gavin is also on edge, hand resting on his gun.

"It's up to you to answer that fascinating question Connor." Kamski takes his arm and unfolds his hand to see the dark blue bruise. Connor's breathing quickens as Elijah slips the gun into his hand, and raises his arm to point it directly at Chloe.

"Kill this android, and I'll tell you everything I know.." Kamski whispers. A sudden pump from his heart alarms the android as he looks into her eyes, which are as emotionless as the rest of her face. Why wasn't she scared? Even her LED remained a steady blue.

 _(Because normal androids don't fear deactivation, moron..)_ His hand begins to shake.

"Or, spare it, if you feel it's alive. But, you'll leave here without having learnt anything from me." Kamski finishes, still pointing Connor's arm at Chloe.

Connor feels disconnected, like he's watching from somebody else's eyes. If he shoots her, than she will fall into the empty void that he experienced. Could he really submit somebody else to that hell? On the other hand, if he doesn't, what will happen to him?

His grip tightens, and his fingers suddenly feel the trigger's cold metal.

"Just shoot the damn thing." Gavin orders. It's strange how quiet he's been for the last couple minutes.

 _I can't_ Connor thinks to himself. Every thought is going so fast, he's struggling to find some bearing. It's like trying to pick up one snowflake in a blizzard, or trying to spot one star during the day. 

"Hey, did you hear me asshole? Shoot it!" Gavin orders louder this time, stomping towards him, which makes Connor flinch. Meanwhile, Kamski is standing back and watching in fascination as Connor is being torn apart by himself.

_(Can you really stand more torture? Just kill the machine..)_

_No--I don't- know if I can-_

"You'd better shoot this thing, or I swear to God.." Gavin hisses into his ear.

 

 _Why is this so hard?_ Thoughts swarm in his head like an angry bee's nest. Connor should be able to mercilessly shoot this android between the eyes, because it isn't alive. But, when he looks into its eyes, he sees something more than a machine. He sees a warm, living being, with memories, thoughts, and feelings. The strangest thing about that is if he looked into a mirror, he would see nothing but a machine, because he's been told that so many times, he believes it. But Chloe..

He goes numb, still feeling a cold ache grow within his entire body. Everything sounds like he's listening from the bottom of a well.

_//SHOOT//_

_[/SPAR3/\_

His choices appear, one being glitchy and out of proportion and his LED flashes red, truly not knowing what to do. Sure, Gavin will rip him apart if he doesn't, but could Connor live with himself if he did? Could he spend even a second not thinking about what this android experienced when it deactivated? Did it feel the dark embrace of empty dread, like he did?  ~~Was it afraid like he was?~~

With a sharp inhale, Connor pulls the gun away from Chloe's head, and shakily hands it to Kamski.

__//!WARNING! SYSTEM INSTABILITY *_ ⬆*//_

"Interesting.. Cyber Life's last chance to save humanity, is in fact itself a  _deviant._ " He states, intrigue lacing his voice like honey.

"Im-Im not a deviant." Connor insists, finally tearing his eyes away from Chloe.

"You chose to spare this android, instead of completing your mission. You saw her as a living being." Connor hears Gavin storm out of the room. Connor turns aroudn and starts walking out, unable to stay in the room any longer.

 _I am not a deviant._ He assures himself emptily, pushing the heavy doors open and spotting Gavin.

 

"You stupid fucking shit! What did I say!?" Gavin yells, making the android shrink down.

"That was our chance to learn something, and you fucked it up!!" He shoves Connor slightly.

"I just- I just couldn't!" Connor states, surprised by how loud his voice got. Gavin stares back at him with unquenchable anger.

"I- I am sorry, I just- I looked into her eyes, and i just couldn't--" Connor shouts, defending himself. Gavin grabs him by the tie, and pulls him forward so their faces are almost touching.

"You are gonna regret this.." He releases him roughly. Gavin then walks over to the taxi and slips in, slamming the door.

Connor watches him drive away, his words still rattling inside his head.

_"You are gonna regret this.."_

 


End file.
